Japan’s ruling coalition won a resounding victory in lower house elections on Sunday, firming up Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s hold on power as he prepares to push forward on several politically difficult fronts.
The conservative Liberal Democratic Party, which has ruled for most of the post-World War II era, locked up a solid majority, and appeared headed to winning at least two-thirds of the House of Representatives together with its coalition partner, the Buddhist-backed Komei party.
In a series of TV interviews from party headquarters, Mr. Abe said his top priority was the economy. “Economy first,” he told national broadcaster NHK, adding that he would also tackle other major issues, including national security.
With most of the votes counted, the Liberal Democrats had won more than 280 of the 475 seats in the lower house, and topped 310 with the Komei party, according to NHK. The main opposition party, the Democratic Party of Japan, had won about 70 seats.
The big victory will give a boost to Mr. Abe’s agenda, including economic reforms, nuclear plant restarts and his long—term goal of revising Japan’s constitution. But opposition from vested interests and sizeable segments of the public could still stymie his plans.
“I believe the results show that we have received a public mandate for the Abe administration’s achievement over the past two years,” Mr. Abe said in a live television interview with Tokyo Broadcasting System. “But we should not be complacent about the results.”
