Japan: Polls open for upper house election in shadow of Abe’s assassination

The Japanese voters began casting their ballots today for the renewal of half the seats in the upper house, an electoral contest overshadowed by the assassination two days ago of the former prime minister Shinzo Abe during a pre-election rally in Nara.

The current Prime Minister of Japan Fumio Kishidawhose Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) is seen as the favorite in the election, denounced the “barbaric” action against his former mentor but insisted the importance “to defend the free and fair elections that are the basis of democracy”.

“We will never succumb to violence,” he emphasized.

The assassination of Abe, one of Japan’s best-known politicians, caused shock in the country and abroad.

After being suspended following news of the killing, campaigning resumed on Saturday under heightened security after police in Nara admitted “indisputable” lapses in security at Abe’s rally.

The pre-election campaign is dominated by domestic issues, mainly the price increase and risks in electricity supply, while the heat wave that has been hitting Japan since the end of June raises fears of power shortages.

The governing coalition, which includes 64-year-old Kishida’s LDP and its ally the Komeito Party, is expected to gather more than 70 seats out of the 125 that will be renewed. The Senate has a total of 248 seats, half of which are renewed every three years.

Having not presented an attractive alternative, the centre-left Constitutional Democratic Party (CDP) risks losing some of the 45 seats it holds and its position as the official opposition party.

In a country often criticized for the lack of women in politics, institutions and business, a record 33% of the 545 candidates are women.

A landslide victory in these elections would consolidate Kishida’s power three years before the next election.

RES-EMP

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