Japan’s ruling party heads to victory in wake of former PM’s death

Japan’s prime minister Fumio Kishida, second left, puts a red paper rose on a Liberal Democratic Party candidate’s name to indicate a victory in the upper house election (Toru Hanai, Pool Photo via AP)

Japan’s governing party and its coalition partner scored a major victory in a parliamentary election on Sunday, possibly propelled by sympathy votes in the wake of the assassination of former prime minister Shinzo Abe.

Early results in the race for the parliament’s upper house showed Mr Abe’s governing party and its junior coalition partner Komeito securing a majority in the chamber.