Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe claimed victory on Sunday for his ruling coalition in the upper house election, vowing to keep alive plans to amend the nation’s pacifist Constitution. With the results, the 64-year-old Abe, who is on course to become Japan’s longest-serving Prime Minister, aims to shore up his mandate ahead of a crucial consumption tax hike later this year, along with trade negotiations with Washington. “The ruling parties were given a majority … as people decided to urge us to firmly push for policies under the stable political base,” Mr. Abe told public broadcaster NHK.
