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.