TOKYO (Al Jazeera/AFP) – Japan’s ruling coalition is projected to keep its majority in the upper house of parliament in an election held in the shadow of the assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), of which Abe was a senior figure, and its junior coalition partner Komeito were on track to win between 69 and 83 seats out of the 125 contested in Sunday’s vote, according to NHK exit polls.
Analysts had predicted Abe’s assassination might boost the prospects of the LDP led by Kishida, an Abe protégé.
Official results are expected on Monday.
Abe, Japan’s longest-serving modern leader, was shot 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.
The police chief of Japan’s Nara prefecture says he takes responsibility for “undeniable” security flaws that paved the way for the killing of the ex-PM.
Abe was delivering a campaign speech in front of a small crowd at the time of the shooting. His alleged killer, identified as 41-year-old Tetsuya Yamagami, opened fire on the 67-year-old politician from behind at close range using a homemade firearm.
Yamagami, a former member of Japan’s navy, has allegedly committed the first assassination of a sitting or former Japanese premier since the days of prewar militarism in 1936.
On Saturday, Tomoaki Onizuka, head of the Nara prefectural police, acknowledged that there were “undeniable” security flaws at the time of the rally and that he took “responsibility” for security failures that made the assassination possible. He said Abe’s security followed his own approved plan.
“As the regional police chief responsible for safety and security of the region, I took necessary steps and built structures for security and guarding. I believe it is undeniable that there were problems with the guarding and safety measures for former Prime Minister Abe,” he told reporters at a press conference.
The assassination sent shockwaves around the world as it was carried out in broad daylight in Japan, which is considered one of the safest countries in the world with extremely strict gun laws.
International reactions and condemnations have since been pouring in against the backdrop of Abe’s assassination.