More voters favor opposition candidates in upper house race survey

Opposition-backed candidates are leading over their ruling bloc rivals in Japan's House of Councillors election, while a minor conservative party is gaining popularity as households struggle with cost-push inflation outpacing wage growth, a Kyodo News survey showed Sunday.The poll, conducted over two days from Saturday, found that 36.6 percent of respondents supported opposition contenders, compared with 20.5 percent for the ruling camp, with frustration over Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's failure to boost consumer confidence apparently mounting.The approval rating for Ishiba's Cabinet fel…READ FULL ARTICLE