Posted originally on the conservative tree house on July 11, 2022 | Sundance

The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) of Japan, the party of current Prime Minister Kishida Fumio and former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, has scored a major election victory.

The election was held only three days after Shinzo Abe was assassinated, and the results reflect the Japanese people giving Fumio the opportunity to cement the legacy of the man he replaced.   Prime Minister Abe was an advocate for reforming the Japanese pacifist constitution, which has not been modified or amended since 1947.

Current Prime Minister Kishida Fumio, the leader of the LDP, now has a super-majority in the upper house, controlling more than two-thirds of the seats.  Fumio will have this majority for at least three years and will be able to structure amendments to the Japanese constitution, a life-long ambition of Shinzo Abe who was a hawk to the influence of Chinese aggression in the region.

With the people supporting him, Kishida Fumio now has a major mandate to fulfill the legacy of Abe and keep a focus in the economic and security needs of the average Japanese citizen.  This is a rare moment of almost universal control within the Japanese political system.  Western media are writing the typeset with furrowed brows and gritted teeth.  Meanwhile, the Beijing dragon is fuming behind the panda mask.

Washington Post –  Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party, or LDP, and its coalition partners have secured a two-thirds supermajority in the nation’s parliament, according to Sunday’s election results, a powerful showing that could allow the LDP to carry forward former prime minister Shinzo Abe’s biggest ambitions in the aftermath of his assassination.

The overwhelming victory could usher in at least three years of political stability for Kishida. It would clear the way for him to enact some of the party’s most controversial goals, including increasing defense spending and pursuing Abe’s long-running desire to amend Japan’s pacifist postwar constitution so that Japan can become a stronger global military power.

“When they get ahold of these ‘golden three years’ the focus will be on what the Kishida administration will hammer out,” said Yu Uchiyama, Japanese politics professor at the University of Tokyo Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. “If the Kishida administration can come up with policies that appeal to the people, there is a strong possibility that the administration will last long-term.” (read more)

NHK NEWS – Japan’s ruling coalition scored a sweeping victory in Sunday’s Upper House election.  The Liberal Democratic Party was able to win more than half the open seats without the help of its coalition partner, Komeito.

Prime Minister Kishida Fumio on Sunday night said he was grateful for the outcome. He promised to address the biggest issues facing the nation, including the pandemic, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the soaring cost of living. He vowed to revive the Japanese economy.

The main opposition force, the Constitutional Democratic Party, lost seats in the Upper House under its new leader, Izumi Kenta. He said, “With our party’s approval ratings still low, we need to work on ourselves, and restore support.”

The ruling coalition and two other parties, Nippon Ishin Japan Innovation Party and the Democratic Party for the People, support amending the Constitution.

Together they now control more than two-thirds of the chamber’s seats. (more)

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I ain’t gonna lie…. 

….It still hurts.

[…] Slain former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will be laid to rest at a Tuesday funeral attended by close friends and family, according to media reports. 

Prior to the funeral, a vigil is scheduled for Monday night, but officials in Japan have not released any plans for a public memorial service for the country’s longest serving prime minister. (more)