Tokyo, Oct 19 (TIWN) Campaigning for Japan's October 31 general election started on Tuesday, with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida seeking authorisation for his Covid-19 and economic policies and the opposition parties united to loosen the power of the ruling coalition.

A stimulus package worth "tens of trillions of yen" to deal with the coronavirus pandemic will be drawn up within the year, he has said.  "We will distribute the fruits of economic growth in the form of salaries and income. We will break new ground for Japan by realizing a virtuous cycle of growth and distribution," Kishida said in his first stump speech in Fukushima, northeastern Japan.  Kishida later canceled his trip to Akita Prefecture after the government said North Korea fired two ballistic missiles into the Sea of Japan in the morning.  After returning to Tokyo for a meeting of the National Security Council in response to the missile launch, Kishida told reporters that he will consider his schedule for the coming days while making sure "there is no void in crisis management."