The usually low-profile elections to the upper house of Japan’s bicameral legislature will this time serve as a crucial moment for the country with potential ramifications reaching beyond the poll. The triennial elections to the House of Councilors generally don't attract as much attention as those to the House of Representatives, which chooses the prime minister. This vote, though, to replace half of the 242-seat house, is being seen as a referendum on Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s ambitious economy policy. Dubbed "Abenomics" it was designed to help drag the world’s third biggest economy out of a two decade deflationary spiral. It will also determine whether or not Abe will be able to push...
↧