Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga on Monday said that focusing on tackling the increasingly serious COVID-19 situation in the country is his "top priority" ahead of plans to dissolve the lower house of parliament for a general election.
Suga's remarks came a day after his ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) took a pummeling in the first national elections held since he took office last September.
The elections, won by three candidates backed by opposition parties, are seen as a litmus test for the general election that must be held before the current four-year terms of lower house members end on Oct. 21.
The upper house re-held election in Hiroshima Prefecture, the upper house by-election in Nagano Prefecture, and the lower house by-election in Hokkaido's No. 2 district were all won by opposition candidates.
The ruling party opted not to field or support a candidate in the by-election in Hokkaido.
Suga said that he humbly accepts the losses and will now have to look towards making corrections and adjustments.
"I humbly accept the judgment of the people and after studying the results further will make necessary adjustments," the Japanese leader told reporters.
As to whether the election results would prompt an early dissolution of the lower house to call a snap election, Suga said his position remained the same and that tackling the COVID-19 pandemic remained his top priority.
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