Japan's ruling coalition wins election

During the first parliamentary election since the voting age dropped from 20 to 18, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's ruling Liberal Democratic Party and its coalition partner on Sunday won a majority of the seats up for grabs.

Now, the Liberal Democrats and their allies appear to have a two-thirds majority in both the upper house of parliament and lower house, meaning Abe could attempt to amend the constitution. After World War II, the Japanese constitution was drawn up under the Allied occupation, and limited the country's military to only a self-defense role, something that Abe wants to change. Leaders of the Liberal Democratic Party also have called for an emergency powers clause that would give the prime minister sweeping power in case of a crisis, the Los Angeles Times reports.

The Kyodo News service says exit polls showed the Liberal Democrats benefiting the most from the lowered voting age; 40 percent of 18- and 19-year-olds voted for the Liberal Democratic Party, with the main opposition party, the Democratic Party, receiving just 19.2 percent of the vote.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up