Abe sweeps to big polls win
Japan’s ruling coalition grabs 310 out of 465 seats in parliament.
TOKYO: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s ruling bloc was headed for a big election win, bolstering his chance of becoming the nation’s longest-serving premier and re-energising his push to revise the pacifist constitution.
Abe’s Liberal Democratic Partyled (LDP) coalition has won a combined 310 seats, reaching a twothirds “super majority” in the 465-member lower house, with 11 seats still up for grabs, broadcaster TV Asahi said.
A hefty win raises the likelihood that Abe, who took office in December 2012, will have a third three-year term as LDP leader next September and go on to become Japan’s longest-serving premier. It also means his “Abenomics” growth strategy centred on the hyper-easy monetary policy will likely continue.
Final official results from the election, which coincided with an approaching typhoon, are expected early today.
The US-drafted constitution’s Article 9, if taken literally, bans the maintenance of armed forces. But Japanese governments have interpreted it to allow a military exclusively for self-defence.
Backers of Abe’s proposal to clarify the military’s ambiguous status say it would codify the sta- tus quo.
Critics fear it would allow an expanded role overseas for the military.
Abe said he would not stick to a target he had floated of making the changes by 2020.
“First, I want to deepen debate and have as many people as possi- ble agree,” he told a TV broadcaster. “We should put priority on that.” The LDP’s junior partner, the Komeito, is cautious about changing the constitution, drawn up after Japan’s defeat in World War Two. Several opposition parties favour changes, but don’t necessarily agree on details.