The ruling Liberal Democratic Party won more than half of the 2,277 seats contested in prefectural assembly elections across Japan on Sunday, showing that support for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's party remains firm ahead of the Upper House election set for this summer.

Taking advantage of a fractured opposition, the LDP won 1,158, or 50.9 percent, of the seats in 41 prefectures in the first leg of quadrennial nationwide local elections. It won a majority in 25 assemblies, including in areas such as Hokkaido and Aichi that typically lean more toward other parties.

But the LDP also suffered a number of setbacks including losses in the Osaka gubernatorial and mayoral elections.