Over the weekend, Japan held elections for 124 of the 245 seats within the upper house of Japan’s legislature, the Home of Councilors, and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s political party, the Liberal Democratic Occasion, maintained its majority and the way holds 113 seats.

Higher home elections in Japan are held every three years, which suggests Abe, whose tenure ends in 2021, has faced his last upper house election.

Elections usually prove to be bittersweet affairs for both the victorious and the defeated. This was actually the case in Japan on Sunday. Abe’s coalition appeared to stave off opposition, maintain the majority within the higher house, and roughly guarantee him the title of longest-serving prime minister in Japanese historical past.

The election forecast main up to Sunday had the Liberal Democratic Party and the Komeito Celebration, a second member in the prime minister’s coalition, projected to safe a snug majority in the upper home. Sources predicted this coalition would safe more than 70 of the 124 seats being contested. They won 71 seats-simply allowing Abe to retain his management over the Weight-reduction plan.

ふじみ野市議会議員選挙 has lost seven seats for the reason that 2016 higher house election. The Komeito Party has gained three seats, and Japan’s Constitutional Democratic Occasion, which is opposed to Abe’s plans for constitutional reform, is gaining traction, though it’s nonetheless in the minority.

Sunday’s consequence was clearly excellent news for Abe and his coalition, nevertheless it was nonetheless shy of securing the two-thirds majority essential to go any reform to Japan’s constitution.

Abe has campaigned on reforming Japan’s structure since he came into office and in the course of the 2013 upper house elections, however has failed to garner significant backing from the public.

According to recent polling, only 32% of voters assist the idea of reforming Japan’s structure, and 56% oppose it.

Though Abe’s administration has helped to increase resources for Japan’s Self-Protection Forces, Japan’s structure stipulates it essentially can have no official armed forces and that it’s going to perpetually renounce warfare as a means to settle worldwide disputes-a situation Abe would like to see modified.

In Japan, the higher house is the inferior physique of Japan’s bicameral Eating regimen, with the decrease home, or the Home of Representatives, possessing the facility of the veto, jurisdiction over the passage of legal guidelines, and formulation of the funds.

Abe’s coalition already holds a super-majority in the lower home, this power dynamic makes Sunday’s vote more a mirrored image of the public’s opinion of Abe and his insurance policies than an opportunity to change the legislative panorama.

Social security stability, a possible consumption tax improve, risky foreign relations, and amending Japan’s constitution were the issues of biggest concern to the Japanese people in these elections, and Abe campaigned on promises to provide peace and stability.

With the election behind it, the Abe administration now has quite a lot of politically sensitive points coming down the pipeline-and fast.

There’s the ongoing dispute between Japan and South Korea over Japan’s choice to revise its export control laws, in addition to different excellent historic disputes.

Abe is looking to further enhance Japan’s consumption tax from 8% to 10% later this year, which may be domestically unpopular for an economy that continues to stagnate and a inhabitants that continues to age.

In addition, the U.S. and Japan wish to enter the next spherical of negotiations towards a U.S.-Japan free trade agreement. A possible reshuffle of the prime minister’s cabinet could also be in the works as well, which may have an effect on how some of these negotiations pan out.

However for now, Tokyo will take some time off from politics. Very like Washington coming into August, the summer season season is just beginning for Japan as leaders return to their hometowns to celebrate the festival of Obon.