Japan PM Kishida set to consolidate ruling party power as Abe mourned

[ASFN Admin]

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida looked set to consolidate authority within his ruling party after a strong election result virtually ensured him three more years as premier, even as the party mourned the killing of leading power broker Shinzo Abe. The ruling conservative coalition, led by Kishida's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), extended its majority in the upper house of parliament just two days after Abe, Japan's longest-serving prime minister before resigning in 2020, was gunned down while giving a campaign speech. The crime stunned a nation where gun violence is extremely rare, setting off a wave of mourning that included a visit by U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken on Monday to offer condolences on behalf of President Joe Biden.

Continue reading...