Japan: A Constitutional Rewrite Remains Just Beyond Abe's Grasp

As expected, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's Liberal Democratic Party won handily in upper house elections -- but not by enough to ensure a smooth path for his agenda, especially for contentious changes to the Japanese Constitution. On July 21, Japanese voters selected half of the 245-seat House of Councillors, the upper house of the National Diet. Of the 124 contested seats, official results showed Abe’s camp capturing 71, with the LDP securing 57 and ally Komeito winning 14.  ...