Voting was underway in three key House of Representatives by-elections in Japan on Sunday, with results expected to be confirmed late into the night.
Polling stations opened at 7 a.m. in the Tokyo No. 15, Shimane No. 1 and Nagasaki No. 3 constituencies and will close at 8 p.m., except in some areas.
The Lower House by-elections are the first national elections to follow revelations of a slush fund scandal that have roiled the ruling Liberal Democratic Party.
The LDP fielded its own candidate only in the Shimane constituency, while choosing to “lose by default” in the Tokyo and Nagasaki constituencies.
In the Shimane constituency, LDP candidate Norimasa Nishikori was in a one-on-one battle with Akiko Kamei, the candidate from the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan.
The outcome of the Shimane by-election is expected to have implications for Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s grip on power and his strategy regarding a possible dissolution of the Lower House for a snap election.
The Shimane by-election comes after the death of former Lower House Speaker and LDP lawmaker Hiroyuki Hosoda. The Tokyo and Nagasaki by-elections, meanwhile, follow the resignations of Mito Kakizawa, a former LDP member and onetime state minister of justice who was convicted of election fraud, and Yaichi Tanigawa, who was involved in the LDP funds scandal.
Voter turnout was 15.37% in Tokyo No. 15 as of 3 p.m., 22.39 % in Shimane No. 1 and 15.55% in Nagasaki No. 3. as of 2 p.m.