Focus on economy, failure of opposition clears way for Abe's LDP in national elections
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is on a solid electoral winning streak, and the opposition isn't putting up much of a fight.
Exit polls show Japan's young voters wanted to go with the flow by voting for coalition
Media exit polls show that a majority of those in their 20s or younger voted for the Liberal Democratic Party and its junior partner, Komeito, in Sunday's Upper House election. Observers said the result doesn't necessarily reflect their active support for the ruling coalition ...
Female candidates break Upper House election record with 28 seats
A record 28 women were elected to the Upper House on Sunday, winning 17 seats in electoral districts and 11 via proportional representation. That's two more than the former record of 26 set in 2007, and six more than the 22 women who won in ...
Okada rules out quitting DP helm over election drubbing; JCP says alliance just the first step
Katsuya Okada, president of the Democratic Party, said he will not resign immediately over the party's disappointing showing in the Upper House election and failure to prevent forces in favor of constitutional reform from securing a two-thirds majority. The party appears to have derived some ...
Lawsuits aim to void Japan's latest election over vote disparity
Two groups of lawyers said they are filing lawsuits with courts across Japan seeking nullification of the outcome of Sunday's Upper House election due to the uncorrected disparity in the weight of votes between constituencies. The focus is on whether the disparity in the value ...
Justice minister, LDP suffer heavy blows in Tohoku over frustration with 3/11 cleanup, TPP deal
The ruling Liberal Democratic Party lost five of the six seats up for grabs in the Tohoku region in Sunday's Upper House election as voters vented their frustration with the government's post-disaster reconstruction plan and the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact. In humiliating news for the ...
Once ousted from Diet, Watanabe makes comeback with Upper House win
Yoshimi Watanabe, who led the now-defunct Your Party, staged a political comeback Sunday after winning a House of Councilors seat 1½ years after he was voted out of the Lower House. "The story of my 'revenge' starts today. I would like to restart from scratch ...
Constitutional scholar Kobayashi's group fails to win Upper House seat
Constitutional scholar Setsu Kobayashi has failed in his attempt to gain a seat for his political group in the House of Councilors as part of efforts to block amendments to the Constitution, early returns showed. The Kokumin Ikari no Koe (Angry Voice of the People), ...
Business community hopes stable Abe government brings tough economic reforms
The business community has urged Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to pursue economic and fiscal policy reforms under a stable government, following the ruling coalition's victory in Sunday's House of Councilors election. "Economic growth and fiscal rehabilitation are issues that should be achieved simultaneously," said Yoshimitsu ...
LDP-led ruling bloc, allies clear two-thirds majority hurdle in Upper House poll
The Liberal Democratic Party-led ruling coalition scored a sweeping victory in the Upper House election Sunday that gave the Diet's pro-revision forces the two-thirds majority needed to initiate Japan's first constitutional referendum, final results showed Monday morning. Four parties in favor of constitutional revision, including ...
Election strengthens LDP as opposition flounders; Abe says talks to begin on constitutional revision
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was all smiles Sunday night after being asked to put flower symbols next to the names of his party’s numerous successful candidates, in a post-election appearance at Liberal Democratic Party headquarters in Tokyo on Sunday. Following the election, Abe’s lifetime ambition ...
Junko Mihara, a 50-year-old actress-turned-politician in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, celebrated victory with supporters at her campaign office in Yokohama on Sunday night after hearing she had almost certainly won a seat. She ran in a Kanagawa constituency where 12 candidates competed for ...
