Abe Aiming to Promote Abenomics after Upper House Election

Tokyo, July 10 (Jiji Press)--Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Sunday that the government intends to promote his Abenomics economic policy mix as the ruling camp led by his Liberal Democratic Party is certain to have won a combined majority of the 121 seats contested in the day's election for the House of Councillors. Exit polls showed that the ruling bloc is certain to have won at least 61 seats in the election for the upper chamber of the Diet, Japan's parliament, clearing the win-or lose line set by Abe. "This suggests that many Japanese people want the government to accelerate Abenomics," the prime minister said in a television program, adding, "We aim to meet the public's expectations." In a separate TV program, Abe signaled an intention to reshuffle his cabinet after the election, adding that he will study the timing of the shakeup through consultations with the ruling bloc while watching progress in the government's work on compiling an envisaged economic stimulus package. Abe also said that he is not at all considering for now dissolving the House of Representatives, the all-important lower chamber of the Diet, for a snap election. The prime minister showed plans to steadily promote debates on revisions of the Japanese constitution among the ruling and opposition parties at the constitutional panels of both Diet chambers. "What matters is how both camps will form a consensus," he said. One of key issues in the Upper House election was whether parties in favor of revising the national charter, including the LDP and its Komeito ally, would be able to secure a two-thirds majority in the Upper House, or 162 seats, a condition necessary for proposing constitutional amendments in the Diet. Still, Abe said he does not think that the advisability of constitutional amendments was at issue in the triennial election, in which half of the 242 Upper House seats were up for grabs. END