More than three-quarters of the Liberal Democratic Party's Diet members support Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's bid for a third consecutive term as president, the results of a poll show.
Of the 405 members in both chambers, 310, or 76.5 percent, said they plan to vote for Abe in the September election because of his economic and diplomatic achievements, the Kyodo News poll found.
The results, released Sunday, bode well for the 63-year-old Abe, who has been in power since late 2012 and could become Japan's longest-serving prime minister if he secures another three-year term. That will allow him to serve through the Olympics and give him time to pursue his long-sought goal of revising the pacifist Constitution. Abe also served briefly as prime minister from 2006 to 2007.