Japan Prime Minister and ruling Liberal Democratic Party President Shinzo Abe at an election campaign rally in Japan.

Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his ruling coalition party won a majority in the country's upper house elections on Sunday — but they failed to secure enough votes needed for Abe's long-held dream of revising the constitution.

Abe's Liberal Democratic Party and its partner, the Komeito Party, won at least 69 of the 124 seats contested in parliament's 245-seat upper house — with nine seats yet to be called, according to Japanese media reports.

But the coalition fell short of a two-thirds "super majority" — or 85 seats — needed to revise the country's constitution. The move would allow Japan to further legitimize its military, and end a ban that has kept its armed forces from fighting abroad since 1945, when World War II ended. </s> Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe enters the headquarters of his Liberal Democratic Party in Tokyo, Sunday, July 21, 2019. Japanese voted Sunday in an election for the upper house of parliament, where Prime Minister Abe’s ruling bloc is expected to keep the majority.(Naoya Osato/Kyodo News via AP)

TOKYO (AP) — Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s ruling coalition secured a majority in Japan’s upper house of parliament in elections Sunday, but it lost ground and fell short of the super-majority needed to propose constitutional revisions, according to vote counts by public television and other media.

NHK public television said Monday that Abe’s Liberal Democratic Party and its junior partner Komeito won 71 seats. If Abe gained support from members of another conservative party and independents, he would reach 76, still short of the 85, NHK said.

Abe’s ruling bloc has a super-majority of two-thirds of the seats in the lower chamber, but Sunday’s results mean he has a slimmer chance of achieving his long-cherished goal of reforming Japan’s postwar pacifist constitution before his term ends in 2021.

Nonetheless, Abe welcomed the results, saying winning the majority means the public’s mandate for his government.

“I believe the people chose political stability, urging us to pursue our policies and carry out diplomacy to protect Japan’s national interests,” Abe told an interview with NHK. He was at his party’s election headquarters where he monitored results, placing red ribbons on winners’ names written on a panel.

Up for grabs were 124 seats in the less powerful of Japan’s two parliamentary chambers. There are 245 seats in the upper house — which does not choose the prime minister — about half of which are elected every three years.

Media surveys had indicated Abe’s ruling bloc would keep a majority, with most voters considering it a safer choice over an opposition with an uncertain track record.

Two-thirds of both houses must approve a constitutional revision before the revision can be decided in a national referendum.

His goal was already a challenge because voters are more concerned about their jobs, economy and social security. Abe, who wants to bolster Japanese defense capability and role, is now proposing adding the Self-Defense Force, or Japan’s military, in the war-renouncing Article 9 of the constitution. Abe said he plans to start from deepening discussion at parliamentary constitutional review board. He said he aims to propose a revision during his current leadership, and that he is not considering running for another term, denying growing speculation he might.

Abe said resolving the decades-old issue of Japanese citizens abducted to North Korea and signing a peace treaty with Russia would be his diplomatic priorities during the rest of his term.

Main opposition parties have focused on concerns over household finances, such as the impact from an upcoming 10% sales tax increase and strains on the public pension system amid Japan’s aging population, while also trying to block Abe’s ambition for a constitutional change.

Abe has led his Liberal Democratic Party to five consecutive parliamentary election victories since 2012. He has prioritized revitalizing Japan’s economy and has steadily bolstered the country’s defenses in the backdrop of North Korea’s missile and nuclear threats and China’s growing military presence. He also has cultivated warm ties with President Donald Trump.

The main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and three other liberal-leaning parties teamed up in some districts. They stressed support for gender equality and LGBT issues — areas Abe’s ultra-conservative lawmakers are reluctant to back. Constitutional Democratic Party nearly doubled its presence to 17 seats. Party chief Yukio Edano said his party’s advance underscored a growing number of voters who are dissatisfied with Abe’s policies.”We’ll keep working so that we can be a viable option for voters who want a leadership change.”

At a polling station in Tokyo’s Chuo district on Sunday, voters were divided over Abe’s 6 1/2-year rule.

A voter who identified himself only as a company worker in his 40s said he chose a candidate and a party that have demonstrated an ability to get things done, suggesting he voted for Abe’s ruling party and its candidate, as “there is no point in casting my vote for a party or a politician who has no such abilities.”

Another voter, Katsunori Takeuchi, a 57-year-old fish market worker, said it was time to change the dominance of Abe and his ultra-conservative policies.

“I think the ruling party has been dominating politics for far too long and it is causing damage,” he said. </s> July 22 (UPI) -- Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe won a victory Monday as his Liberal Democratic Party took a clear majority of seats in Japan's upper-chamber House of Councillors.

Despite the victory, the party fell short of the two-thirds majority needed to keep a major campaign pledge to amend the Japanese Constitution to clarify its Self-Defense Forces status in Article 9 of its supreme law. Abe said while the party stance has not changed, it's willing to be "flexible."

The vote positions Abe to become Japan's longest-serving prime minister. The Liberal Democratic Party captured 71 seats in Sunday's election and, with its junior partner Komeito, controls 141 seats.

"Although we have provided a basis for debate, which we believe is the best but we want to have flexible discussions without sticking to our proposal," Abe said, dismissing the party's falling short of a two-thirds majority.

"Many said it would be extremely difficult to gain a majority when advocating tax hikes, but we have the public's understanding. This upper house election was not about winning two-thirds of the seats, it was about maintaining stability. We achieved that goal."

Voter turnout for the House of Councillor's election was well below its 2016 election tally. Japan's Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry said 49 percent of eligible voters participated, compared to 55 percent in 2016. Sunday marked the first time since 1995 that fewer than 50 percent voted in an upper house election. </s> (UPDATED) Shinzo Abe's ruling coalition retains its majority in the upper house in Sunday's vote for around the half the seats in the chamber, but falls short of securing a two-thirds majority in favor of revising the constitution

TOKYO, Japan (UPDATED) – Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Monday, July 22, pledged to keep alive his plans to amend the country's pacifist constitution, despite failing to secure a "supermajority" in upper house elections.

His ruling coalition retained its majority in the upper house in Sunday's vote for around the half the seats in the chamber, but fell short of securing a two-thirds majority in favour of revising the constitution.

"The hurdle of two thirds in both the lower and upper houses is extremely high," Abe told a news conference at his party headquarters.

"I want to produce a reform proposal that can be agreed upon by two thirds beyond the borders of the ruling and opposition camps," he said.

Abe has long harbored dreams of revising the constitution, which prohibits the country from waging war and maintaining a military.

But public support for revising the document is low and there is discomfort with the idea even among the ruling coalition.

Experts said that since many within Abe's coalition were already uneasy about the plans, the failure to secure a supermajority was unlikely to change the prime minister's calculations significantly.

"Losing the supermajority is not necessarily a major setback for Abe," wrote analyst Tobias Harris of the Teneo consultancy group in a note.

"Instead, by leading the ruling coalition to another national election victory – his sixth in his nearly 7 years as LDP (Liberal Democratic Party) leader – Abe has cemented his status atop Japan's political system," Harris added.

Abe's LDP and its coalition partner Komeito took 71 of the 124 seats up for grabs in Sunday's vote, accounting for about half of the upper chamber.

The two parties already control 70 seats in the other half of the 245-seat chamber that was not being contested.

Analysts said Abe's coalition benefitted from a weak opposition, and voter turnout underscored apathy among the electorate, falling below 50% for the first time since a 1995 upper house election.

Abe's win is likely however to shore up his support ahead of a controversial hike of the consumption tax to 10 percent later this year, as well as trade negotiations with Washington.

The outcome of Sunday's election means Abe remains on track to become the country's longest-serving prime minister later this year. – Rappler.com </s> Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party and allied forces fell short of a critical two-thirds majority of the 245-seat Upper House in Sunday’s election, according to final media tallies — a significant setback in their bid to revise the nation’s postwar Constitution.

Abe’s ruling coalition, however, won enough seats to control a majority in the chamber, with voters apparently prioritizing stability in economic and social welfare policies. Its control of the chamber would at least give Abe a semblance of a win, as the figure met the self-imposed “victory line” he set during the campaign.

According to Kyodo News, voter turnout stood at 48.80 percent, the second lowest since the end of World War II. The lowest was 44.52 percent in the 1995 Upper House election, internal affairs ministry statistics show.

The low turnout rate probably means that opposition parties had failed to drum up support from swing voters, a key element in recent national elections as more and more voters have become individualistic, dropping their loyalty to organizations they belong to.

Final tallies showed the LDP and its coalition partner Komeito won 57 seats and 14 seats, respectively, well surpassing a majority of the 124 up for grabs. This, combined with 70 seats already controlled by the coalition in the uncontested half of the Upper House, will enable the bloc to retain a comfortable majority.

On the opposition side, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan significantly increased its number of seats to 17, the tallies showed.

“Through this election, I felt that to a certain degree many people are critical of the Abe administration’s political dominance,” Tetsuro Fukuyama, secretary-general of the CDP, told NHK.

Meanwhile, conservative opposition Nippon Ishin no Kai earned 10 seats, the Japanese Communist Party won seven, the Democratic Party for the People took six and the Social Democratic Party finished with one, final results showed.

Reiwa Shinsengumi, an iconoclastic opposition group founded by actor-turned-politician Taro Yamamoto, successfully won two seats, both of which went to candidates with severe disabilities who use specially designed wheelchairs. Yamamoto himself didn’t get a seat. A political group that professes to “protect” the public from broadcaster NHK, whose subscription fee system it blasts as unfair, also won one seat.

The election was widely seen as make-or-break for Abe’s longtime ambition to revise the postwar Constitution. Abe has argued that the war-renouncing Article 9 of the supreme charter should be revised to formalize the legal status of the Self-Defense Forces.

Without a pro-revision supermajority in the Upper House, Abe will not be able to initiate a national referendum on revising the Constitution, which is often regarded by nationalists as a humiliating postwar imposition by the U.S.-led Occupation forces. Therefore, there is a risk that Abe may slide into a lame-duck position, having lost momentum for a key political push that has helped rally his conservative base and in no small way defined his identity as a politician.

One possible way he could maintain momentum for the pro-revision camp without the two-thirds majority — as he himself suggested during the campaign — would be to reach out to the opposition Democratic Party for the People, which is seen as being more flexible than other opposition parties in terms of amending the charter.

Some political observers speculate that Abe, when push comes to shove, may give up on pursuing changes to Article 9 and settle for an amendment proposal more palatable to the DPP so he can absorb its members into a pro-revision group.

On Sunday night, Abe reiterated his hopes for cooperation with the DPP.

“Whether we can form a two-thirds majority depends on how discussions at the Diet will proceed,” he said in a post-election interview with TV Asahi.

“There are many lawmakers within the DPP who believe discussions on constitutional amendment should kick off. … I hope that not just the DPP, but other parties and independent lawmakers, will press ahead with honest debate,” he added.

Still, Abe said he will take the LDP’s strong performance Sunday as proof of voters’ endorsement of his campaign pledge to revise the Constitution.

“We won more than half of the seats contested. This means people urged us to steadily promote discussion” on constitutional revision, Abe said.

“I hope debates at the Diet will make progress,” he added.

While stumping for LDP candidates in the lead-up to Sunday’s vote, Abe, according to media reports, repeatedly stressed his promise to rewrite the supreme law, daring voters to choose between parties that “fulfill their responsibilities” to discuss its revision and those that don’t.

This was rather atypical of Abe, who in past election campaigns opted to avoid addressing constitutional revision head-on, apparently out of fear that bringing to the fore such a divisive topic could backfire.

Abe’s road ahead, however, is bumpy nonetheless.

For one thing, he may face stiff resistance from coalition partner Komeito to any attempt to rewrite war-renouncing Article 9, which the Buddhist-backed party has traditionally been quite reluctant to change.

If it turns out constitutional revision is more elusive than he’d hoped, Abe might have no other choice but to set his sights on other potential “legacy” projects to maintain momentum for his leadership, which is set to end in September 2021, observers say.

“Foreign affairs will play an outsized role on Abe’s agenda regardless of the outcome on Sunday, but especially if Abe fails to receive a pro-revision supermajority,” Tobias Harris, an expert on Japanese politics at Teneo Intelligence, a consulting firm in Washington, said in an emailed newsletter.

“If revision appears to be foreclosed, Abe will likely look abroad for a legacy issue,” he said.

Although having been unable to make any significant headway, Abe has also been keen to resolve the territorial dispute with Russia and repatriate Japanese nationals kidnapped by North Korean agents in the 1970s and 1980s.

Ultimately, the election was to many voters first and foremost a chance for them to endorse or repudiate the Abe administration’s performance since he returned to power in December 2012.

His main campaign pitch centered on the “stability” of his government, a message he repeatedly referenced to evoke memories of chaos and high leadership turnover that pervaded the brief period in power of the Democratic Party of Japan.

Particularly at issue was Abe’s pledge to raise the consumption tax from the current 8 percent to 10 percent in October. The LDP-Komeito coalition has justified the hike as a way of covering the costs of ballooning social security costs and free preschool education, despite claims by the opposition that the hike will be detrimental to household finances.

Observers say Abe could become a lame duck as the end of his third term approaches.

However, according to NHK, LDP Secretary-General Toshihiro Nikai told a radio program Sunday that Abe “has won much support” from party members through Sunday’s election and that it would not be “unnatural at all” if rules were revised to allow Abe to be elected party president for an unprecedented fourth time.

When asked to elaborate on the possibility of Abe’s fourth term during a separate media appearance, Nikai said he believes “that’s what the public wants.”

Given the support for the LDP, “I don’t think it’s unnatural at all to think there are huge expectations for Abe,” he said.

Asked about Nikai’s remark, Abe said he will perform his duties as party president until the end of his term as set by party rules.

“I very much appreciate (Nikai’s) comment, but I’d rather focus on producing results and dedicate myself wholeheartedly to the rest of my term (as LDP president) as per the current LDP rule,” he said

Abe’s current term as LDP president ends in fall 2021. Given the majority held by the LDP-Komeito coalition, the head of the LDP would usually serve as the prime minister.

Staff writers Sakura Murakami and Satoshi Sugiyama contributed to this report. </s> Tokyo: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s political coalition has won the partial legislative election to the upper house of Parliament, though it failed to secure the number of seats needed to push forward the constitutional reform it was hoping for, according to results released on Monday.

Japanese citizens had voted on Sunday to elect half of the House of Councillors, whose member serve for six-year terms and have fewer legislative functions than members of the House of Representatives, of which Abe is a member.

The result leaves Abe with a clear majority in both houses of Parliament, following a landslide win in the lower house in 2017. The ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) won 71 of the 124 seats in the 245-member House of Councillors in the Sunday polls, according to public broadcaster NHK.

However, he failed to achieve the two-thirds majority needed to amend the Constitution — a signature goal for which Abe has set a 2020 deadline.

“I would like to express my gratitude to the voters,” Abe said in a press conference on Monday. “This is a choice about the political stability and chaos. We asked the voters to choose between these two options and many people listened to our speeches on the streets.

“In this election, the constitutional amendment was also a big issue – it will be finally determined by the national referendum,” Abe said, calling the two-thirds requirement “a very tall order”.

“The people of Japan will have a final say on this matter.”

Abe’s goal is to amend the Constitution – which was approved after World War II – to change its pacifist character so that the country’s Self-Defence Forces can play a more active role. The amendment must be approved by both houses and put to a referendum.

He said he wanted to demonstrate his own leadership to be able to discuss the reform and make a draft that can secure two-thirds of the votes between the ruling and opposition legislators.

Voter turnout on Sunday was the second-lowest since the end of World War II, as only 48.8 per cent of the electoral census went to the polls, slightly higher than the record low of 44.52 per cent turnout in the 1995 elections. </s> TOKYO (AP) - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was re-elected as head of his ruling Liberal Democratic Party in a landslide Thursday, paving the way for up to three more years as the nation's leader.

Abe handily defeated his sole challenger, Shigeru Ishiba, a former defense minister. Abe won 553, or about 70 percent, of 807 votes.

The decisive victory may embolden Abe to pursue his long-sought revision to Japan's U.S.-drafted pacifist constitution, although the hurdles remain high and doing so would carry political risks.

"It's time to tackle a constitutional revision," Abe said in a victory speech. "Now the fight is over."

"Let's work together to make a new Japan," he added.

Abe also said he is determined to use his last term to pursue his policy goals to "sum up" Japan's postwar diplomacy to ensure peace in the country.

The 63-year-old Abe has been prime minister since December 2012. He has cemented control of his party and received support from conservatives for bringing stability and continuity to economic and diplomatic policies. With a third term as party leader, Abe is poised to become Japan's longest-serving leader in August 2021.

Abe has said he is determined to push for a revision to the U.S.-drafted 1947 constitution, a decades-old pledge of the Liberal Democratic Party since its foundation in 1955 and a goal that none of Abe's predecessors has been able to achieve.

Many conservatives see the constitution as a humiliation imposed on Japan following its World War II defeat.

While Abe won 80 percent of parliamentarian votes Thursday, support from regional rank-and-file party members was 55 percent, though it was within earlier projections.

Experts see a margin of victory in regional member votes as a more accurate indicator of general public sentiment than the parliamentarian votes. Abe's weaker showing in that segment means he will have to be more mindful of their voices in carrying out his policies.

Liberal Democratic Party President Shinzo Abe acknowledges applause from the LDP lawmakers shortly after his name was called as the winner of the ruling party presidential elections at its headquarters in Tokyo, Thursday, Sept. 20, 2018. Prime Minister Abe was re-elected Thursday to a third term as leader of the ruling party, paving the way for him to serve as prime minister for up to three more years. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara)

Liberal Democratic Party President Shinzo Abe receives applause from the LDP lawmakers shortly after his name was called as the winner of the ruling party presidential elections at its headquarters in Tokyo, Thursday, Sept. 20, 2018. Prime Minister Abe was re-elected Thursday to a third term as leader of the ruling party, paving the way for him to serve as prime minister for up to three more years. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara)

Liberal Democratic Party President Shinzo Abe bows as he receives applause from the LDP lawmakers shortly after his name was called as the winner of the ruling party presidential elections at its headquarters in Tokyo, Thursday, Sept. 20, 2018. Prime Minister Abe was re-elected Thursday to a third term as leader of the ruling party, paving the way for him to serve as prime minister for up to three more years. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara) </s> Still up in the air, however, is whether the ruling bloc and its allies will keep the two-thirds “supermajority”

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s ruling bloc is set to keep a solid majority in Japan’s upper house election on Sunday and with allies could seal the two-thirds majority needed to keep alive his dream of revising the pacifist constitution, an NHK exit poll showed.

Abe, who took office in December 2012 pledging to restart the economy and bolster defence, is already on track to become Japan’s longest-serving premier if he stays on until November, a stunning comeback after he abruptly ended a first, troubled one-year term in 2007.

Abe’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and its junior partner, the Komeito party, will take 67-77 of the 124 seats being contested in parliament’s 245-seat upper house. That, together with uncontested seats, assures them a majority.

Still up in the air, however, is whether the ruling bloc and its allies will keep the two-thirds “supermajority” needed to begin the process of revising the constitution’s pacifist Article 9 to further legitimize the military, a controversial step.

To maintain that majority, pro-revision forces need to win 85 seats. NHK’s exit poll said they would take 76 to 88 seats.

The charter has not been amended since it was enacted in 1947 and changing it would be hugely symbolic, underscoring a shift away from post-war pacifism already underway.

Article 9, if taken literally, bans maintenance of military but has been stretched to allow armed forces for self-defense.

Gaining a two-thirds majority, however, would not ensure Abe’s proposal to enshrine the military in the constitution would succeed, given differences among lawmakers on what exactly should be changed, political analysts noted.

Surveys show voters are divided over changing it, with opponents worried doing so would increase the risk of Japan getting entangled in U.S.-led conflicts.

Any change must be approved by two-thirds of both houses of parliament and a majority in a public referendum. The LDP-led bloc has a two-thirds majority in the lower house.

Abe pushed his LDP-led coalition as the best bet for political stability during his campaign.

Opposition parties focused on voters finances, including a potential hit on spending from an October rise in the sales tax to 10% and strains in the public pension system due to Japan’s quickly aging population.

LDP Secretary-General Toshihiro Nikai told a TV broadcaster on Sunday that he’d support Abe if he wanted to seek a fourth term as ruling party president when his current tenure ends in September 2021. That would require a change in party rules.

“Of course, I’d support him. Because he has the support of the people,” Nikai said.

Abe has led his party to victory in five national elections since 2012 helped in part by a fragmented opposition. That pattern looked set to repeat on Sunday, according to media reports.

The main opposition Constitution Democratic Party of Japan (CDPJ) was set to increase its seats and alongside the Democratic Party for the People (DPFP), the Japanese Communist Party and the Social Democratic Party fielded joint candidates in all 32 constituencies where one seat is up for grabs, setting the goal of winning at least 11 seats, the same number they won in the 2016 upper house election. </s> Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's ruling coalition secured a majority in Japan's upper house of parliament in elections Sunday but will not reach the super-majority needed to propose constitutional revisions, according to vote counts by public television and other media.

NHK public television said shortly after midnight that Abe's Liberal Democratic Party and its junior partner Komeito had won 69 seats in the upper house, with nine seats remaining. If Abe gained support from members of another conservative party and independents, it would make only 76 seats, short of 85 he would have needed, NHK said.

Abe's ruling bloc already has a two-thirds majority in the lower house, but without such control of the upper chamber, he has a slim chance of achieving his long-cherished goal of constitutional reform.

Nonetheless, Abe welcomed the results, saying winning a majority indicates a public mandate for his government.

"I believe the people chose political stability, urging us to pursue our policies and carry out diplomacy to protect Japan's national interests," Abe said in an interview with NHK.

Abe hopes to gain enough seats to boost his chances to revise Japan's pacifist constitution — his long-cherished goal before his term ends in 2021.

But it's a challenge because voters are more concerned about their jobs, economy and social security. Abe, who wants to bolster Japan's defense capability, is now proposing adding the Self-Defense Force, or Japan's military, to the war-renouncing Article 9 of the constitution. He said he is not considering running for another term.

Abe said resolving the decades-old issue of Japanese citizens abducted by North Korea and signing a peace treaty with Russia would be his diplomatic priorities during the rest of his term.

Opposition parties have focused on concerns over household finances, such as the impact from an upcoming 10% sales tax increase and strains on the public pension system amid Japan's aging population.

Abe has led his Liberal Democratic Party to five consecutive parliamentary election victories since 2012.

He has prioritized revitalizing Japan's economy and has steadily bolstered the country's defenses in the backdrop of North Korea's missile and nuclear threats and China's growing military presence. He also has showcased his diplomatic skills by cultivating warm ties with President Donald Trump.

Abe needs approval by a two-thirds majority in both houses to propose a constitutional revision and seek a national referendum. His ruling bloc has a two-thirds majority in the more powerful lower house.

The main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and three other liberal-leaning parties teamed up in some districts. They stressed support for gender equality and LGBT issues — areas Abe's ultra-conservative lawmakers are reluctant to back.

At a polling station in Tokyo's Chuo district on Sunday, voters were divided over Abe's 6 1/2-year rule.

A voter who identified himself only as a company worker in his 40s said he chose a candidate and a party that have demonstrated an ability to get things done, suggesting he voted for Abe's ruling party and its candidate, as "there is no point in casting my vote for a party or a politician who has no such abilities."

Another voter, Katsunori Takeuchi, a 57-year-old fish market worker, said it was time to change the dominance of Abe and his ultra-conservative policies.

"I think the ruling party has been dominating politics for far too long and it is causing damage," he said.
The Liberal Democratic Party of Japan, led by Prime Minister Shinzō Abe, wins a clear, but reduced, majority of the seats but falls short on gaining the two-thirds supermajority needed to start the pursued process of amending the constitution.