Japan's ruling party is set for likely bruising in weekend election

FILE PHOTO: Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks during a news conference at the prime minister's official residence in Tokyo, Japan October 14, 2021. Eugene Hoshiko/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and prime minister Fumio Kishida are likely to take a bruising at the weekend's lower house election, though the coalition government should safely retain power, opinion polls on Friday showed.

The Sunday election is set to be a test for the LDP, whose image was battered by its perceived mishandling of the coronavirus pandemic, and hanging on to its single-party majority in the powerful lower house could be difficult, the polls suggested.