Japan ruling coalition set to win election marred by Shinzo Abe killing

TOKYO: Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) was projected to keep a majority in the upper house with its junior coalition partner in Sunday's (Jul 10) election, public broadcaster NHK reported.

The widely expected outcome comes two days after the fatal shooting of prominent LDP member and power broker, former premier Shinzo Abe.

The LDP and the Komeito party were likely to win between 69 and 83 seats out of the 125 contested in Sunday's vote, according to NHK's exit polls. The finals results are not expected until sometime on Monday.

Abe, Japan's longest-serving modern leader, was gunned down on Friday during a speech in support of a local candidate in the western city of Nara, a killing the political establishment condemned as an attack on democracy itself.

Analysts had predicted Abe's assassination might boost the LDP, led by Kishida, an Abe protege.

The party was projected to win 59 to 69 of the upper house seats contested, according the exit poll, up from the 55 it held previously.

Elections for parliament's less powerful upper house are typically seen as a referendum on the sitting government. Change of government was not at stake, as that is determined by the lower house.

A strong showing at the polls could help Kishida consolidate his rule, giving the former banker from Hiroshima a chance to carry out his goal of boosting military spending.

It might allow him to revise Japan's pacifist constitution, a dream Abe never achieved.

The exit polls show parties open to revising the pacifist constitution were projected to maintain their two-thirds majority in the upper house. Most voters favour greater military strength, opinion polls show.

Abe's body arrived in Tokyo on Saturday from the western region where he was gunned down at close range a day earlier.

The assassination rattled the nation and sent shockwaves around the world, prompting an outpouring of sympathy.

The man accused of his murder, 41-year-old Tetsuya Yamagami, is in custody and has told investigators he targeted Abe because he believed the politician was linked to an unnamed organisation.

Local media have described the organisation as religious and said Yamagami's family had suffered financial trouble as a result of his mother's donations to the group.

"NO BIGGER REGRET"

Abe was campaigning for the LDP in the Nara region when Yamagami opened fire, and local police there on Saturday admitted "problems" with the security plan for the high-profile figure.

With little violent crime and tough gun laws, security at Japanese campaign events can be relaxed, though in the wake of Abe's murder, measures were beefed up for Kishida's remaining appearances.

Police have promised a "thorough investigation" into what the head of the Nara regional police called "problems with guarding and safety measures" for Abe.

"I believe it is undeniable that there were problems with the guarding and safety measures for former prime minister Abe," Tomoaki Onizuka told reporters on Saturday evening.

"In all the years since I became a police officer in 1995... there is no greater remorse, no bigger regret than this," the tearful police chief added.

Abe's office told AFP that a wake will be held on Monday night, with a funeral for family and close friends only on Tuesday. Local media said both were expected to be held at Tokyo's Zojoji Temple.