Photo/Illutration Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks at a July 11 news conference. (Koichi Ueda)

A day after his ruling Liberal Democratic Party triumphed in the Upper House election, a subdued Prime Minister Fumio Kishida vowed to carry on the political work of assassinated former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

Kishida held a news conference on July 11, after the LDP alone won a majority of the 125 seats contested.

Kishida began his news conference by referring to Abe, who was shot to death while giving a campaign speech on July 8 in Nara, only days before the voters went to the polls. 

“We will carry on the beliefs of former Prime Minister Abe and tackle issues that he was so earnestly concerned about, such as returning the Japanese nationals abducted by North Korea and constitutional revision, but could not resolve when he served as prime minister,” Kishida said. 

Kishida said the election results clearly showed voters wanted the Constitution to be amended, but he also said there were differences about constitutional revision among the four parties pushing for such a change.

“I want to initiate an amendment as soon as possible by first seeking agreement by two-thirds of chamber members around a specific proposal,” Kishida said.

He also said the nation faced one of the most difficult times since the end of World War II, citing the ongoing novel coronavirus pandemic, now in its seventh wave in Japan, as well as the economic effects of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Kishida said a government task force would be formed this week to look into dealing with the recent surge in consumer prices.

When asked about reshuffling his Cabinet and the LDP executive lineup, Kishida said he had no specific plan in mind. But some changes will be needed since two of his ministers did not seek re-election in the Upper House election and the term of LDP executives expires in October.

Government sources said the two ministers would be kept on until between late August and early September when personnel changes will likely be made.

Kishida plans to attend the review conference of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty on Aug. 1 to be held at U.N. headquarters in New York. An extraordinary Diet session is being mulled for Aug. 3 to 5.

The annual memorial ceremonies to mark the dropping of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki as well as the end of World War II, traditionally attended by the prime minister, will continue until Aug. 15.

(This article was written by Ayako Nakada and Ryutaro Abe.)

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