Japan votes to keep hardline PM

North Korea fears fuel conservatism

TOKYO • Japan’s ruling conservative party was on track Sunday to win a sweeping election victory, paving the way for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to pursue his goal of revising the postwar constitution to allow a military buildup.

Millions of Japanese braved strong winds and heavy rain from an approaching typhoon as well as widespread travel chaos to vote, as 1,200 candidates vied for 465 seats in the lower house of parliament.

The ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) was projected to achieve a comfortable majority, according to exit polls, prompting expectations it will retain its twothirds “super majority” with its coalition partner.

Such a victory would be a major boost for Abe, who came to office in 2012 with promises of bolstering Japan’s defence and rebooting the world’s third largest economy through his “Abenomics” growth strategy.

It also shows that Abe’s high-stakes gamble of calling a snap election a year earlier than scheduled — and his promise to resign if his party failed to achieve a majority — appears to have paid off.

In unofficial results early Monday, the ruling coalition had won 312 seats in the 465-seat lower house, exceeding a two-thirds majority at 310, and other parties had 143 seats, Japanese public broadcaster NHK said.

Abe’s projected win, which paves the way for him to become Japan’s longest-serving postwar prime minister, will give him a fresh mandate to pursue his strong stance against North Korea and continue with his efforts to revitalize a stagnant economy.

His victory will add momentum to his controversial goal of amending Japan’s pacifist constitution and, in particular, redefining the role of the Self-Defence Forces in Article 9, which he aims to implement by 2020.

While Abe is widely viewed as a divisive leader, the current insecurity surrounding North Korea’s nuclear and missile program appears to have fuelled an underlying conservatism among many voters, pushing them to hedge their bets with the LDP.

“The situation in the world is not stable in many aspects and I believe the LDP is the only party to rely on,” said Kyoko Ichida, 78, after voting in Tokyo.

Yoshihisa Iemori, 50, a construction company owner, added: “I support Abe’s stance not to give in to North Korea’s pressure. I’m focusing on this point for the election.”

The election unfolded against a backdrop of chaotic scenes among the opposition.

Yuriko Koike, the governor of Tokyo, admitted results for her recently formed Party of Hope (Kibo no To) were “severe.”