Yokohama mayor election seen as bellwether for Japan PM Suga

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga speaks during a news conference announcing to extend a state of emergency on COVID-19 pandemic at prime minister's official residence in Tokyo, Japan, August 17, 2021. Kimimasa Mayama/Pool via REUTERS

TOKYO (Reuters) - Yokohama voters were casting ballots for mayor on Sunday in an election expected to affect unpopular Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga's prospects for keeping his post amid a COVID-19 surge across Japan.

A loss by the Suga-backed Liberal Democratic Party candidate in Suga's home turf just south of Tokyo would pile pressure on the premier, whose approval ratings slid below 30% in August, fanning concerns in the LDP about his ability to lead into a general election this year.