Japan voted in the Senate elections for a ruling coalition that won a major victory in an election that was marred by the assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe two days ago at a campaign rally in Nara, in the country’s west.

The ruling coalition, made up of Abe’s Liberal Democratic Party (right-wing nationalists), and his Komeito ally, won more than 75 of the 125 seats that were voted for renewal on Sunday, in elections held every three years. years and include half of the 248 seats in the Senate. The governing coalition now has a majority ready to amend the pacifist constitution to boost Japan’s military role on the international stage, a goal long sought by Abe.

Kinta Izumi, leader of the opposition Constitutional Democratic Party, conceded defeat, saying it was clear “voters didn’t want change or trust us to run the state,” Kyodo news agency quoted him as saying.

According to the data available to date, the participation rate was only 52 per cent.