Japan's Ishiba to make 1st election speech in Hyogo
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is expected to give his first election speech for the July 20 election for the House of Councillors in Hyogo Prefecture, western Japan, on July 3, a government official said Thursday.
Ishiba, president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, plans to attend Japan Day events at the ongoing 2025 World Exposition in the western city of Osaka that day, when the official campaign period will start for the upper chamber of parliament.
More than 10 candidates, including incumbents of the LDP and its coalition partner, Komeito, are expected to run in the Hyogo prefectural constituency, where three seats will be up for grabs.
In his speech, Ishiba is expected to highlight disaster reduction measures, a key issue for him, as this year marked the 30th anniversary of the Hanshin-Awaji earthquake that mainly struck Hyogo.
Through his visit to the disaster-stricken area, Ishiba hopes to rally support for the ruling coalition in the very crowded constituency.
After the March 2011 temblor and tsunami that hit northeastern Japan, the late Shinzo Abe, who was heading the then-opposition LDP, began his campaign trail in heavily affected Fukushima Prefecture in the 2012 election for the House of Representatives, the lower chamber.
Prime ministers have since picked Fukushima for the location of their first campaign speeches, except in 2016, when Abe chose Kumamoto Prefecture for the Upper House election following big quakes in the prefecture. For last year's Lower House election, Ishiba started his campaign in Fukushima.
[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
