FOCUS: Ruling bloc's cash handouts plan risky election gambit for PM Ishiba

Anti-inflation measures proposed by the ruling parties look unappealing to voters, with their effect seen as unclear, leaving Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba at risk of losing his job after the upcoming election.As campaigning for the House of Councillors election began on July 3, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and its junior coalition partner, the Komeito party, pledged to provide 20,000 yen ($137) per person to support consumers reeling from inflation.Opposition parties, by contrast, are proposing to abolish or lower the consumption tax as their key promise for the July 20 upper house …READ FULL ARTICLE