Japan's ruling party secures local election victories despite controversy.

Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has won key local elections in the first big electoral test for Prime Minister Fumio Kishida since damaging revelations emerged about his party's ties to the Unification Church. LDP candidates triumphed in governor elections in prefectures from Hokkaido in the country's north to Oita in the south-west on Sunday, raising speculation that Kishida could call a snap general election. The LDP has endured months of criticism over its connections to the Unification Church, but Kishida had begun to claw back support in the run-up to Sunday's elections.