Voters were listening attentively over the weekend to campaign speeches for the upcoming Lower House election, while expressing hopes for a range of policy measures as the country grapples with a variety of challenges, including soaring prices.

On the only Sunday during the official campaign period for the Feb. 8 election, a ruling bloc executive delivered a speech in the town of Seiro, Niigata Prefecture, with inflation cited as a top concern of local voters.

¡°Prices continue rising, so I want more efforts to be made in the implementation of countermeasures,¡± said a local corporate worker in her 50s among the audience.