Japan's ruling LDP sees divisions in regional polls ahead of upper house race

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's Liberal Democratic Party won the key gubernatorial election in Hokkaido on Sunday but saw significant intraparty divisions appear in other local races which could bode ill for the upper house election this summer.The LDP's traditional support bases were not united behind a single candidate in some prefectures, including Fukuoka where a contender supported by Deputy Prime Minister Taro Aso lost his bid."Our victory in Hokkaido was big," LDP Secretary General Toshihiro Nikai told reporters, referring to the only race among Sunday's 11 gubernatorial elections that p…READ FULL ARTICLE