Tokyo

In an election held just two days after the assassination of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP)-Komeito coalition secured 76 seats and retained the majority in the Upper House elections.

Abe was gunned down in Nara city in western Japan on Friday, while he was delivering a campaign speech.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and other LDP executives appeared before the media on Sunday night, wearing black ties and dresses along with mourning ribbons, holding a moment of silence for Abe.

Addressing a press conference, the Japanese PM said, "Violence threatened the electoral process, the very foundation of our democracy."

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"I was determined to go through with this election at all costs," he added.

After nine months in office, and having faced both the omicron wave of the COVID-19 pandemic and the fallout from the war in Ukraine, this victory is likely to mark a new beginning for Kishida's administration.