Japan’s Ruling Bloc Secures Parliament in Big Election Win

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s ruling bloc “won a majority in Sunday’s upper house election, media exit polls showed, giving it control of both chambers of parliament and handing Mr. Abe a mandate to proceed with his ambitious plan for economic growth,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“The strong showing was widely expected as Mr. Abe’s Cabinet enjoyed a near 60% approval rating going into the election on the back of support for his economic policy mix of monetary easing and fiscal spending steps. The focus now is on whether he will attempt to tackle reforms that are seen as necessary to further propel growth but are likely to be unpopular.”