Key Facts
• Internet survey conducted on July 5-6, 2025, by JNN.
• Okayama: Four candidates, all newcomers, competing for one seat.
• Okayama: Liberal Democratic Party’s Koichiro Kobayashi and Constitutional Democratic Party’s Iroha Kunitomo in close race.
• Okayama: Sanseitō’s Shiho Hiromori trailing; minor party candidate Yoshiaki Iwata faces challenges.
• Kagawa: Six candidates, including one incumbent, vying for one seat.
• Kagawa: Democratic Party for the People’s Shuichi Harada slightly ahead; LDP incumbent Shingo Miyake follows.
• Kagawa: Sanseitō’s Naomi Kobayashi, Communist Party’s Maki Nagao, independent Junko Machikawa, and minor party’s Miwako Noro struggling.
• Approximately 50% of voters in both regions remain undecided, indicating potential shifts.
Summary
Early trends in the 2025 Upper House election reveal tight races in Okayama and Kagawa. In Okayama, four newcomers are competing, with the Liberal Democratic Party’s Koichiro Kobayashi and the Constitutional Democratic Party’s Iroha Kunitomo locked in a close contest. Sanseitō’s Shiho Hiromori is trailing, while minor party candidate Yoshiaki Iwata faces significant challenges. In Kagawa, six candidates, including one incumbent, are vying for a seat. Shuichi Harada of the Democratic Party for the People is slightly ahead, followed by LDP incumbent Shingo Miyake. Other candidates, including those from Sanseitō, the Communist Party, and independents, are struggling. Notably, about half of voters in both regions remain undecided, leaving room for significant changes in the coming weeks.
