Japan ruling party set for strong election showing after Abe killing

But even a strong LDP performance will be overshadowed by the murder of Abe, who as leader of its largest faction still wielded considerable strength over policy and personnel decisions

Japanese voters went to the polls on July 10 for an upper house election in which the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) may receive a surge of support after the assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, a leading statesman and party power broker.

Abe, Japan's longest-serving modern leader, was gunned down on Friday during a speech in support of a local candidate in the western city of Nara — a killing the political establishment condemned as an attack on democracy itself.

Elections for seats in parliament's less powerful upper house are typically seen as a referendum on the sitting government, and the latest opinion polls already pointed to a strong showing for the ruling bloc led by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida — an Abe protege.

As the nation mourns, both the LDP and its junior coalition partner Komeito could gain from a potential wave of sympathy votes, political analysts said.

"The ruling LDP-Komeito coalition was already on course for a solid victory," James Brady of the Teneo consultancy said in a note. "A wave of sympathy votes now could boost the margin of victory."

Campaigning was halted on Friday after Abe's killing, but politicians resumed pre-election activities on Saturday.

There was an increased police presence when Mr. Kishida appeared at a campaign event in a city southwest of Tokyo and a metal detection scanner was installed at the venue — an unusual security measure in Japan.