Describing the by-election results as a "crushing defeat," former reconstruction minister Katsuei Hirasawa, a ninth-term House of Representatives lawmaker from a constituency in Tokyo, emphasized the need to take "drastic reforms" for the party. The LDP managed to secure only two seats in Sunday's metropolitan assembly by-elections among the eight districts where the party fielded its own candidates. Nine districts across Tokyo were being contested, and before the polls, the party aimed to win at least four slots. The result is set to take a heavy toll on Kishida, who seeks reelection in the party's presidential election in September, with support for his Cabinet remaining at its lowest level since it was launched in October 2021.