Shizuka Terata, an independent jointly backed by four opposition parties, scored a major upset in the Upper House race in Akita Prefecture on Sunday by defeating incumbent Matsuji Nakaizumi of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, Kyodo News said.
The seat was considered one of the top battlegrounds among the 32 single-seat constituencies up for grabs as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's ruling LDP and its allies attempted to win a supermajority in the 245-seat chamber in his attempt to revise the Constitution.
The loss came despite appearances by Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga and rising young star Shinjiro Koizumi of the Lower House, who stumped for Nakaizumi at an unprecedented pace during the Upper House campaign.
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