Upper House Election: Yomiuri Survey: Economy, Jobs Top Issues for Candidates in Japan’s Upper House Election Campaign

The Yomiuri Shimbun

16:32 JST, July 11, 2025

The issue of “economy and employment” was cited by the largest proportion of candidates as a central theme of their campaigns in the House of Councillors election, set for July 20, according to a Yomiuri Shimbun survey.

When asked to list up to three issues they wanted to address in the election campaign, 47% of candidates chose economy and employment, followed by “consumption tax” at 41% and “pensions, medical care and nursing care” at 39%.

These results highlight the candidates’ focus on economic measures against rising prices and strengthening social security.

By party, the issue of economy and employment was at the top of the agenda for the Liberal Democratic Party, Komeito, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and the Democratic Party for the People. Meanwhile, the Japan Innovation Party, which strongly emphasizes social security reform, chose pensions, medical care and nursing care” as its top priority.

Notably, both the Japanese Communist Party and Reiwa Shinsengumi identified the consumption tax as their top issue. This issue was also among the top three policy priorities for six opposition parties.

Meanwhile, data from the survey showed that the LDP — which has campaigned on direct financial handouts instead of committing to a cut in the consumption tax — had only 1% of its candidates highlight the consumption tax as a key issue.

Not a single Komeito candidate cited the consumption tax as a concern.

This highlights a dynamic in which opposition parties intend to make the consumption tax a core part of the electoral debate, but the ruling parties are trying to avoid it.

“Agriculture, forestry and fisheries” was cited as a key issue by 21% of candidates, ranking fifth overall, partly due to increased focus on agricultural policies aimed at stabilizing rice prices.

“Regional revitalization and population decline” was cited as a point of contention by 16% of candidates, ranking eighth. However, among LDP candidates, this figure increased to 41%, making it the third most frequently cited issue for the party’s candidates. This is likely a reflection of Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s signature “regional revitalization” policy.

Issues directly related to people’s daily lives ranked highly, whereas the percentage of candidates who cited “diplomacy and security” was only 17%.

A direct comparison is difficult due to differences in the survey questions on diplomacy and security issues. However, the percentage marked a significant 28 percentage points decline from the 45% recorded in the 2022 upper house election candidate survey. That survey was conducted after Russia began its aggression against Ukraine.

The recent survey was conducted from June 13, before the election campaigning began. Of the 522 candidates, 496 responded, resulting in a 95% response rate.