Aiko Shimajiri fist-bumps supporters as she walks into a rally at a bullring in Okinawa's gritty Uruma city, the former minister in Japan's ruling party relishing the prospect of pulling off an upset victory in this weekend's vote.

Nationwide, the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) is expected to lose seats in Sunday's lower house election due largely to voter dissatisfaction over the handling of the coronavirus pandemic.

But in the far southern prefecture of Okinawa - long a bastion of the pacifist opposition - the LDP's harder line on China and proactive security policy is helping it win over younger voters...