Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s ruling coalition won a resounding victory in Sunday’s snap election, securing a two-thirds majority in the Lower House that raised his chances of achieving a historic third term and his longtime ambition of revising the pacifist Constitution.
Media tallies showed the Liberal Democratic Party-Komeito bloc won 312 seats in the 465-member Lower House, power that would help it call a referendum on amending the U.S.-drafted charter. This would herald a resurgence in Abe’s drive to amend the supreme code for the first time since it took force 70 years ago.
The LDP endorsed three independents after the poll wrapped up, raising its post-election strength to a total 283, nearly unchanged from the 284 it held before campaigning started, reports said.
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