TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s ruling party and its coalition partner scored a big victory in a parliamentary election on Sunday steeped in significance after the assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe amid uncertainty about how his loss could affect party unity.
The Liberal Democratic Party and its junior coalition partner Komeito increased their combined share of the chamber from 248 seats to 146 – well above a majority – in the election for half of the seats in the less powerful upper house.
With this increase, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will rule without interruption until a scheduled election in 2025.
That would allow Kishida to work on long-term policies such as national security, his signature but still vague “new capitalism” economic policy and his party’s long-awaited goal of changing the US-drafted postwar pacifist constitution.
A proposal to change the charter is now possible. With the help of two opposition parties supporting charter change, the ruling bloc now has the two-thirds majority in the chamber needed to propose an amendment, making it a realistic possibility. The rulers already have secured support in the other chamber.
Kishida welcomed the big win but was not smiling given Abe’s loss and the difficult task of reuniting his party without him. In media interviews late Sunday, Kishida reiterated: “Party unity is more important than anything else.”
He said responses to COVID-19, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and rising prices would be his priorities. He said he would also constantly push for strengthening Japan’s national security as well as amending the constitution.
Kishida and senior party lawmakers observed a moment of silence for Abe at the party’s election headquarters before placing victory ribbons on a white board next to the names of the candidates who secured seats.
Abe, 67, was shot while delivering a campaign speech in the western city of Nara on Friday and died from massive blood loss. He was Japan’s longest-serving political leader for two terms, and although he stepped down in 2020, he was highly influential in the LDP while heading its largest Seiwakai faction.
“This could be a turning point” for the LDP over its divisive policies on gender equality, same-sex marriage and other issues that Abe-backed ultraconservatives with paternalistic family values have resisted, said Mitsuru Fukuda, a professor of crisis management at Nihon University.
Japan’s current diplomatic and security posture is unlikely to be affected, as Abe has already made fundamental changes. His ultra-nationalist views and pragmatic politics have made him a controversial figure for many, including in Korea and China.
After the assassination, Sunday’s vote took on new meaning, with all of Japan’s political leaders stressing the importance of free speech and protecting democracy against acts of violence.
Abe’s assassination may have prompted voices of sympathy. Voter turnout on Sunday was about 52%, up about 3 points from the previous 48.8% in 2019.
“It was extremely significant that we held the election,” Kishida said on Sunday. “Our efforts to protect democracy continue.”
On the final day of campaigning on Saturday, party leaders avoided fist bumps and other friendly gestures in close contact with the public, a sign of heightened security since Abe’s assassination at a campaign rally.
Abe’s body was returned to his home in Tokyo’s prestigious Shibuya district, where many mourners, including Kishida and senior party officials, paid their respects. His wake and funeral are expected in the coming days.
On Sunday, the suspect charged with his murder was handed over to local prosecutors for further investigation, and a senior regional police official admitted that possible security lapses allowed the gunman to get close to Abe and shoot him with his homemade gun.
The suspect, Tetsuya Yamagami, told investigators he acted because of rumors about Abe’s ties to an organization he resented, police said, but had no problem with the former leader’s political views. The man hated a religious group his mother was obsessed with that was bankrupting a family business, according to media reports, including some who identified the group as the Unification Church.
Nara Prefectural Police Chief Tomoaki Onizuka said Saturday that security concerns were undisputed, that he took the shooting seriously and would review security procedures.
Abe retired two years ago, blaming a relapse of the ulcerative colitis he’d had since his teenage years. He said he regretted leaving many of his goals unfinished, including revising Japan’s war-renouncing constitution. While some conservatives consider the post-World War II charter a humiliation, the public is more supportive of the document.
Abe was primed to follow in the footsteps of his grandfather, former Prime Minister Nobusuke Kishi. His political rhetoric often focused on making Japan a “normal” and “beautiful” nation with a stronger military through a security alliance with the United States and a greater role in international affairs.
He became Japan’s youngest Prime Minister in 2006, aged 52. But his overly nationalistic first term came to an abrupt end a year later, also due to his health, forcing six years of annual leadership change.
He returned to office in 2012, promising to revive the nation and lift its economy out of its deflationary doldrums with his “Abenomics” formula, which combines fiscal stimulus, monetary easing and structural reforms. He won six national elections and built a firm grip on power.
Japan is known for its strict gun laws. With a population of 125 million, there were only 21 gun-related criminal cases in 2020, according to the latest government crime document. However, experts say some recent attacks have involved the use of consumer goods such as gasoline, suggesting an increased risk for ordinary people to be drawn into mass attacks.
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