Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe smiles as he places a red rosette on the name of his Liberal Democratic Party's(LDP) winning candidate during ballot counting for the upper house elections at the party headquarters in Tokyo Sunday, July 21, 2013
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's ruling coalition won a majority in the upper house of parliament in elections yesterday, media projected, giving it control of both chambers and a mandate to press ahead with difficult economic reforms. The win is an endorsement of the Liberal Democratic Party's "Abenomics" program, which has helped spark a tentative economic recovery, and a vindication for Abe, who lost upper house elections in 2007 during his previous stint as prime minister
Controlling both houses of parliament has been an elusive goal for Japanese governments in recent years. With a divided parliament, it has been hard to pass legislation, and voters fed up with the gridlock and high leadership turnover appeared willing to opt for the perceived safety of the LDP, which has ruled Japan for most of the post-World War II era
Based on exit polls and early results, LDP and its coalition partner, New Komeito, won a combined 73 seats, giving them a total of 132 seats in the chamber, more than the 122 needed for a majority
The main opposition Democratic Party of Japan, which fell from power in December elections, was projected to lose nearly 30 seats
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