TOKYO (AP) \u2014 Days after former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe\u2019s assassination, his party vowed to use its\u00a0victory in a parliamentary election\u00a0to achieve his unfinished goals, including strengthening the military and revising the country\u2019s pacifist, postwar constitution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While the comfortable majority secured Sunday by the governing Liberal Democratic Party and its junior coalition partner Komeito could allow Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to rule uninterrupted until a scheduled election in 2025, the loss of Abe also opened up a period of uncertainly for his party. The promised constitutional amendment, for one, faced an uphill battle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In a country where\u00a0gun crime is vanishingly rare,\u00a0Abe\u2019s shooting\u00a0shook the nation, and Japanese flocked to a Buddhist temple Monday to mourn their former leader, while police\u00a0looked into a possible motive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kishida, meanwhile, welcomed his party\u2019s victory but also acknowledged that it was entering a new era without the towering politician, who even after resigning as prime minister in 2020 remained a force in the party and national politics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBecause we\u2019ve lost a great leader, undeniably we could be affected in many ways,\u201d Kishida said. \u201cOur party must unite as we face difficult issues.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Experts said Abe, a kingmaker and head of the largest wing in the party, had no clear successor and his absence could trigger a power struggle among members of that faction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe absence of Mr. Abe and his grip on power in the party could give Mr. Kishida more of a free hand to take his own initiative,\u201d said Koichi Nakano, a professor of international politics at Tokyo-based Sophia University. Kishida has enjoyed relatively high approval ratings for his perceived effort to listen to the people. That suggested support could be growing for his more moderate stance \u2014 and lessening for Abe\u2019s more conservative approach, Nakano said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But he added any significant change in direction would be hard for Kishida and would take time. Much of Japan\u2019s current diplomatic and security policies, such as the stronger Japan-U.S. alliance and pushing for a free and open Asia-Pacific region as a counter to China\u2019s rise, were set by Abe and remained unchanged, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kishida said the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Russia\u2019s invasion of Ukraine and rising prices would be his priorities. But he also vowed to push for reinforcing Japan\u2019s national security and amending the constitution, which only allows the country\u2019s military to act in self-defense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Abe, along with some of the country\u2019s ultraconservatives, considered the document written by the U.S. in the wake of World War II a humiliation and have long sought to give a greater international role to the country\u2019s military, called the Self Defense Force. But many in the public are more supportive of the document and see addressing the pandemic and the soaring cost of food, fuel and childcare as more pressing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe will inherit his will and tackle the issues he had to leave unachieved,\u201d Kishida said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To propose a constitutional amendment, both houses of parliament need to support it by a two-thirds majority. Sunday\u2019s vote gave the LDP-led coalition and two opposition parties open to a charter revision that margin in the upper chamber of parliament.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Experts suggested Abe\u2019s assassination may have garnered his party some sympathy votes, and the governing coalition alone now has 146 of the house\u2019s 248 seats. All four parties together control 179. That group of four parties also has the necessary seats in the more powerful lower house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Still, it\u2019s far from clear sailing: Komeito, the centrist party that forms part of the governing coalition, says changing the article in the constitution that puts constraints on the military is unnecessary. In addition, any amendment would need to secure a majority of support in a national referendum to pass.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Abe, who stepped down as prime minister two years ago, citing health reasons, said at the time he regretted leaving many of his goals unfinished, including revising the constitution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On Monday evening, a wake was held for Abe at a Buddhist temple in downtown Tokyo where Kishida and top former and current political leaders, as well as ordinary mourners, paid tribute. Some broke down in tears.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A funeral is planned at the temple Tuesday by his family. The government is expected to hold a separate memorial service at a later date.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Earlier in the day, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Kishida to offer condolences and deliver a letter from President Joe Biden to Abe\u2019s family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe simply want them to know that we deeply feel the loss on the personal level as well,\u201d Blinken told Kishida. \u201cMostly I\u2019m here because the United States and Japan are more than allies \u2014 we are friends.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Also Monday, Taiwanese Vice President Lai Ching-Te paid his respects at Abe\u2019s Tokyo residence. Lai in his Facebook called Abe \u201ca good friend who loves and supports Taiwan.\u201d Abe was known as a staunch Taiwan supporter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Japan\u2019s\u00a0longest-serving political leader, Abe was the grandson of another prime minister and became the country\u2019s youngest leader in 2006, at age 52. That stint in office abruptly ended a year later, also because of his health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He returned to the premiership in 2012, vowing to revitalize the nation and get its economy out of its deflationary doldrums with his \u201cAbenomics\u201d formula, which combines fiscal stimulus, monetary easing and structural reforms. He won six national elections and built a rock-solid grip on power.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On Sunday, the suspect accused of his murder was transferred to a local prosecutors\u2019 office for further investigation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Police said the suspect, Tetsuya Yamagami, told investigators he acted because of Abe\u2019s\u00a0rumored connection to an organization that he resented. Some Japanese media identified the group as South Korea\u2019s Unification Church, and reported that the suspect\u2019s mother donated large amounts of money to the church. They suggested that the donations and her subsequent bankruptcy were a possible motive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Japan branch of the church acknowledged Monday that the suspect\u2019s mother was a member, but denied that it demanded large donations from anyone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tomihiro Tanaka, head of the church, declined comment on the specifics of donations, saying a police investigation was ongoing. Speaking in generalities, he confirmed some people had made generous donations, but stressed none were forced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tanaka said Abe was not a member though he supported its global peace movement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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