Japan’s ruling party and its allies won a “super-majority” in the Senate elections on Sunday, just two days after the murder of former prime minister Shinzo Abe. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was in the country on Monday (11) to express his condolences to the Japanese who were preparing for the funeral of the former prime minister on Tuesday (12).
According to Japanese media, Abe’s Liberal Democratic Party (PLD, nationalist right) and its ally Komeito strengthened their positions, winning more than 75 of the 125 seats in the upper house. The Senate of Japan has 248 seats, which is renewed in half every three years.
As of now, they have a “super-majority” of two-thirds in the legislature, ready to amend the country’s pacifist constitution and strengthen Abe’s former goal of reinforcing his military role on the world stage.
Kenta Izumi, leader of the opposition Constitutional Democratic Party, conceded defeat and said it was clear that “voters do not want to change and entrust us to the government,” according to the Kyodo News agency.
According to the latest official information, the participation rate was only 52%.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said, “I think it is important that the elections are held normally,” adding that he will focus on important current issues such as Kovid, Ukraine and inflation.
On Friday, the head of government condemned the “barbaric” attack on his political mentor, Abe, and insisted on the importance of “defending free and fair elections, which are the foundation of democracy.” “We will never bow to violence,” he said.
American visit
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who is on tour in Asia, took a short break in Tokyo on Monday and personally offered his condolences to the Japanese people.
Abe’s office told AFP that the funeral will be held Monday night and Tuesday (12) in the presence of family and relatives, at the Zojoji temple in Tokyo.
The suspect, who was arrested at the scene, admitted to deliberately targeting the former prime minister and told police that he was angry with an organization that Abe was a member of. Japanese media stated that it could be a religious group.
Tetsuya Yamagami, 41, a former member of the Japanese Navy Maritime Self-Defense Force, told police he used a homemade weapon.
He reportedly told investigators that he had traveled to Okayama, a little over 200km from Nara, with the aim of killing the former prime minister who was attending an event on Thursday (8), but eventually gave up as the attendees had to communicate. names and addresses.
After being briefly suspended by several parties, the election campaign resumed on Saturday (10) with reinforced security measures. Nara police acknowledged the flaws in Abe’s protection during the rally in the city.
The campaign was dominated by rising prices and risks related to electricity supply. Japan has been facing a heatwave since the end of June, raising fears of power outages.
(with information from AFP)
source: Noticias
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