Japanese voters went to the polls on Sunday to elect members of the country’s upper house, days after former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was shot on the campaign trail in Nara. Mr. Abe was speaking in favor of Kei Sato, the candidate of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, which the former prime minister led to back-to-back victories in the eight years before he stepped down in 2020. The LDP was already the favorite before Mr. Abe’s assassination, and most analysts expected that if the assassination had an impact on the vote, it would boost support for the ruling party. That appeared to be coming to an end on Sunday, with exit polls predicting that the LDP and its allies in the Komeito coalition would easily secure a majority in the 248-seat House of Councilors, half of which were up for election. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and most other politicians suspended campaigning on Friday out of respect for Mr Abe, but Japan’s leader was back on track the next day, telling voters in Yamanashi prefecture near Tokyo “we will never succumb to violence ». Preliminary figures showed a slight increase in turnout in the last Upper House election in 2019. Two hours before polls closed, turnout was around 28 percent, almost a percentage point higher than in 2019, although the figures do not include early , absentee or overseas votes. Mr Kishida and figures from across the political spectrum had called on voters to turn out on Sunday to show support for the country’s democratic system after the assassination In an editorial on Sunday, the liberal Asahi Shimbun linked Mr Abe’s assassination to political violence in Japan in the post-World War II period, as well as recent international events such as the storming of the US Capitol last year, writing “ this is a time for each of us to renew our commitment to rebuilding democracy in this nation and vow that we will never let it slip through our fingers.” There was an increased police presence at Mr Kishida’s event on Saturday, with metal detectors installed at the venue, an unusual security measure in Japan where politicians usually interact directly with the public, as Mr Abe did when he was killed. Elections to the less powerful upper house are usually seen as a temporary report card on the government’s performance, and a poor showing by Mr Kishida could have raised questions about his future as LDP leader and therefore as prime minister. Mr Kishida succeeded Yoshihide Suga last year after the latter resigned due to a drop in popularity caused by a perceived mishandling of the COVID crisis and the Tokyo Olympics. Before Mr. Abe’s record term as prime minister from 2012 to 2020, Japan had gone through five prime ministers in as many years. Despite growing concerns about a weakened yen, inflation and the cost of living, which opposition parties have tried to latch on to Mr. Kishida’s policies, polls before Mr. Abe’s assassination had predicted a strong performance for the LDP and lower Komeito partners. While exit polls have shown the coalition will take more than half the seats on offer, the exact numbers will not be confirmed until Monday, when the proportional representation seats are finalised. According to Kyodo, a total of 545 candidates were vying for the 125 contested seats, including a record 181 candidates. With few expecting the election to shake the LDP’s position as the most powerful force in Japanese politics, both Mr Abe’s assassination and Sunday’s election could reshape internal dynamics within the conservative party. Mr Abe headed the largest faction of the LDP, seen as opposed to Mr Kishida’s plans for a “new capitalism” and greater distribution of wealth. The composition of the upper house will also affect the LDP’s long-term goal of reforming Japan’s pacifist post-war constitution, which has not been changed in 75 years. Mr. Abe, despite dominating Japanese politics for the better part of a decade, has never been able to advance plans to amend the constitution, which requires a two-thirds majority in both houses of parliament. Exit polls showed pro-reform parties will secure several seats in the upper house on Sunday. They already control more than enough seats in the lower House of Representatives. Mr Abe had been pushing Kishida’s government to pursue such goals in the days before his death, and some commentators urged Tokyo to follow suit out of respect for the slain former prime minister, allowing Japan to take on the biggest security role in the Asia-Pacific that he had been trying for a long time. In an article on Sunday, the conservative Yomiuri Shimbun said Japan had lost “both an important leader and the image of a safe country” in Friday’s incident. “The government must take this fact seriously and make every effort to ensure internal security,” the paper said. “It is important to rebuild the sluggish economy, strengthen international contributions and increase Japan’s national strength.” Filed by Reuters Our Morning Update and Afternoon Update newsletters are written by Globe editors, giving you a concise summary of the day’s most important headlines. Sign up today.
