TOKYO -- A political era closed with Shinzo Abe's assassination on Friday, marked by a diplomatic legacy that struck a balance between his conservative ideology and pragmatism.
As a junior lawmaker in the Liberal Democratic Party, Abe had opposed the adoption of single-seat constituencies for Japan's lower house elections. Multi-seat districts had provided opportunities for active policy discussions within the party. He saw the shift to single seats as not only limiting the choice of candidates for voters, but also leading to political stasis.
