Japan's Kishida calls for unity to achieve Abe's unmet goals

Japanese PM Fumio Kishida has called for party unity to achieve the assassinated former leader Shinzo Abe’s unfinished goals of strengthening the military and revising the war-renouncing constitution

Boosted by a new election mandate, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Monday called for party unity for political stability and to achieve the assassinated former leader Shinzo Abe's unfinished goals of strengthening the military and revising the war-renouncing constitution.

Mr. Kishida's governing Liberal Democratic Party and its junior coalition partner Komeito secured a solid majority of seats in the parliament's upper house in elections Sunday that were imbued with meaning after Mr. Abe was shot to death while campaigning Friday.

Mr. Kishida welcomed the victory but also acknowledged that unifying the party will be a hard task without Mr. Abe, who even after resigning as Prime Minister in 2020 had led a powerful party faction.

“Because we've lost a great leader, undeniably we could be affected in many ways," Mr. Kishida said. “Our party must unite as we face difficult issues."

At a time of security and economic challenges in and outside Japan, Mr. Abe's death is most regrettable, Mr. Kishida said. “We will inherit his will and tackle the issues he had to leave unachieved,” including an amendment to the U.S.-drafted postwar pacifist constitution.

Sunday's vote gave the LDP-led coalition 146 seats in the 248-seat upper chamber, the less powerful of parliament's two houses. The result means Mr. Kishida could rule uninterrupted until a scheduled election in 2025 and allows him to work on long-term policies.

Advancement on amending the constitution is now a realistic possibility. With the help of two opposition parties supportive of a charter change, the governing bloc now has two-thirds majority in the upper chamber needed to propose an amendment. The governing bloc already had the needed support in the lower house.