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| Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe wears off earphone as he attends at headquarters of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party in Tokyo, Japan, Oct. 22, after close of vote of the Lower House election. / EPA-Yonhap |
By Ko Dong-hwan
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe swept to a victory in a snap election Sunday and vowed to "deal firmly" with threats from North Korea that dominated the campaign.
Abe's conservative coalition was on road to win 311 seats in the 465-seat parliament, according to a projection from private broadcaster TBS, possibly making him Japan's longest-serving leader.
The election win is likely to stiffen Abe's resolve to tackle North Korea's nuclear threat, as Japan, the key U.S. regional ally, seeks to exert strong pressure on Pyongyang after it fired two missiles over Japan in the space of a month.
Abe was predicted to grab a "landslide win", the Yomiuri daily said, as the premier's risky bid to hold a snap election appeared to be paying off. But some media had also said it fell just short for his coalition to retain its two-thirds "supermajority" that requires 310 seats.
A "supermajority" would allow Abe to propose changes to pacifist Japan's U.S.-imposed constitution that forces Tokyo to renounce war and limits its military to a self-defense role.
Abe said he would deepen debate on the divisive issue in parliament, according to the Associated Press. He also stressed that he "doesn't plan to propose (changes) via the ruling bloc alone" but "we'll make efforts to gain support from as many people as possible."
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