W ith upper house elections looming at the end of the month, Shinzo Abe will soon begin the usual prime ministerial sweep through Japan's key parliamentary districts to shore up support for his Liberal Democrats. This time, however, the trips may backfire. With the cabinet's fortunes in decline, at least one politician from his party says that Mr Abe's campaigning may even put voters off.

"Frankly, his visit will be a big headache," says Kohei Tamura, the LDP senator for Kochi in the south-west of the country, who has seen his own support rate plummet recently along with that of the prime minister. "I think Abe's cabinet will lose this election and that the prime minister might have to quit," he says, heightening the sense of agitation by lighting a fifth unfiltered cigarette. "If things get so bad that I lose my seat, it will be a national rout for our party."