Japan’s ruling coalition retains a supermajority in snap election
October 24 , 2017 2587 days 1058 0
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe secured a crucial victory in Japan’s parliamentary elections with his ruling bloc maintaining a supermajority that could allow it to push for a revision of the nation’s pacifist constitution.
Abe and his allies have retained the two-thirds majorities in both houses of parliament that are required to call for constitutional amendments.
Abe has long sought to revise Article 9, which renounces war, and remove the ambiguity surrounding Japan’s military, known as the Self-Defense Forces.
If Abe serves out a complete four-year term, he will remain at the helm during the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games and become Japan’s longest-serving prime minister.