Japan’s vote opens door to constitution change

By Mari Yamaguchi, Associated Press TOKYO — A resounding election victory for Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s ruling bloc has opened the door a crack for his long-cherished ambition to revise the constitution for the first time since it was enacted in 1947 — a behind-the-scenes agenda that could, over time, change Japan’s future. Gains in parliamentary elections Sunday mean that Abe’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party, with the help of coalition partner Komeito and fringe groups supporting constitutional change, now can cobble together the crucial two-thirds majority in the 242-member upper house needed to propose revision and put it to a referendum. Japanese Prime Minister and leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, Shinzo Abe, speaks during a press conference in Tokyo, Monday, July 11, 2016. A resounding election victory for Abe’s ruling bloc has opened the door a crack for his long-cherished ambition to revise the constitution for the first time since [...]