Japan's Landslide Election Result Sets Stage For Constitution Fight
Source: Reuters
Prime Minister Shinzo Abes ruling coalition won a landslide victory on Sunday in an election for parliaments upper house, despite concerns about his economic policies and plans to revise the nations post-war pacifist constitution for the first time.
Media projections showed Abes coalition, like-minded parties and independents had won the two-thirds super majority needed to try to revise the constitutions restraints on the military, a step that could strain ties with China, where memories of Japans past militarism run deep.
Abes Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) fell short of winning a simple majority, which would have increased its clout within the coalition. Earlier projections had shown it was within their grasp for the first time since 1989.
Nevertheless, the overall victory will still bolster Abes grip over the conservative party that he led back to power in 2012 promising to reboot the economy with hyper-easy monetary policy, fiscal spending and reforms.
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Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/japan-election-result_us_57825da5e4b0344d514faf70
Neocons now have a firm grip on Japan.
bananas
(27,509 posts)Japan PM Shinzo Abe claims victory in parliamentary election
5 hours ago
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has claimed victory in an election for the upper house of parliament, saying voters backed his economic policies.
Exit polls suggest his coalition will win most of the 121 seats in contention, increasing its majority.
If he secures a two-thirds majority to match that in the lower house, he could hold a vote on constitutional change, easing constraints on military action.
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bananas
(27,509 posts)Japan Vote Strengthens Shinzo Abes Goal to Change Constitution
By MOTOKO RICH
JULY 10, 2016
TOKYO Voters helped Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan move closer on Sunday to securing the lawmaker support he needs to revise a pacifist Constitution that has been in place since American occupiers created it in 1947.
Although national election results were incomplete, all major Japanese newspapers reported that the governing coalition and its allies had captured two-thirds of the seats in the upper house of Parliament, the amount required to proceed with the constitutional revision. A final count was likely to be announced on Monday morning.
Despite a weak economy and divided public opinion on the expanded role for Japans military that Mr. Abe is seeking, exit polls by NHK, the countrys public broadcaster, indicated that his Liberal Democrats and their allies had again won a commanding majority in the upper house.
This is the peoples voice letting us firmly move forward, Mr. Abe said. When asked whether he would proceed with a revision of the Constitution, he said it had long been the Liberal Democrats goal.
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Ghost Dog
(16,881 posts)according to plan.
Night Watchman
(743 posts)yuiyoshida
(41,831 posts)doumo arigatou gozaimashita!
Night Watchman
(743 posts)Coventina
(27,115 posts)Please remember that Japan is very close neighbor to both North Korea and an increasingly aggressive China.
NK has already launched missiles over Japan, and China is outright seizing more and more territory.
Japan has good reason to be nervous....
Yo_Mama
(8,303 posts)They no longer believe in either our capacity or our willingness, and this is the only realistic thing for them to do.
Coventina
(27,115 posts)being the "World's Policeman."
What's Japan supposed to do, exactly?
Feeling the Bern
(3,839 posts)roamer65
(36,745 posts)sakabatou
(42,152 posts)-_-
forjusticethunders
(1,151 posts)Abe is a fascist, pure and simple.