Japan's ruling party loses 1 of 2 by-elections in blow to PM Kishida

Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party lost one of two House of Councillors by-elections held Sunday, dealing a blow to the party and its leader Prime Minister Fumio Kishida with just a week until the general election.The defeat in Shizuoka Prefecture was a red flag for Kishida, who took office less than a month ago promising to take stronger COVID-19 countermeasures and implement a "new capitalism" that puts the country on a growth track while redistributing wealth to the middle class.Shinnosuke Yamazaki, a 40-year-old independent backed by the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and…READ FULL ARTICLE