TOKYO -- Japan's ruling coalition won the majority of seats contested in Sunday's upper house election. But while citizens validated Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's government, the mood among the victors was mostly joyless, as the vote came just two days after the assassination of former leader Shinzo Abe.
Of the 125 seats that were contested, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and its smaller partner Komeito together secured 76, with Kishida's LDP winning 63. That is enough to give the coalition a majority in the upper house. It holds 70 seats that were not up for grabs, for a total of 146.
