参院徳島・高知補選が告示　解散戦略に影響、２２日投開票

　参院徳島・高知選挙区の補欠選挙が５日告示された。先の内閣改造・自民党役員人事後初めての国政選挙で、事実上の与野党一騎打ちとなる見通し。１０日告示の衆院長崎４区補選と合わせ、２２日に投開票される。結果は岸田文雄首相の衆院解散戦略に影響を与えそうだ。
　参院補選は高野光二郎氏（自民を離党）が元秘書への暴行で参院議員を辞職したことに伴い実施。立候補したのは届け出順に、無所属で元立憲民主党衆院議員の広田一氏（５５）、自民新人で元高知県議の西内健氏（５６）＝公明党推薦＝の２人。出馬表明していた諸派新人は立候補を見送った。（2023/10/05-13:09）

A head-to-head battle between the ruling and opposition blocs for a House of Councillors seat kicked off in the Tokushima-Kochi constituency on Thursday.
   Vying for the seat vacated by Kojiro Takano, who quit the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and the upper chamber of parliament after assaulting his secretary late last year, are independent Hajime Hirota, 55, and the LDP's Ken Nishiuchi, 56, also backed by Komeito, the ruling party's coalition partner.
   Hirota was a lawmaker in the House of Representatives, the lower chamber, and a member of the leading opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan. He is backed by the Japanese Communist Party, the Democratic Party for the People and the Social Democratic Party, as well as the CDP. Nishiuchi was a member of the Kochi prefectural assembly.
   The by-election in western Japan on Oct. 22 is the first national contest since Prime Minister Fumio Kishida reshuffled his cabinet and the LDP leadership team last month.
   Meanwhile, another by-election will be held in the Lower House's Nagasaki No. 4 district on the same day. A straight fight is also expected during its campaign period commencing on Tuesday.