Japan is still in shock over the assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, but will resume its election campaign for the upper house of parliament on Saturday. State broadcaster reports that NHK.
Many parties have renounced speeches, but want to continue the campaign to show that they will not bow to violence. Political leaders have labeled the assassination of Abe, Japan’s longest-serving modern leader, as an attack on democracy itself.
Sunday’s elections are expected to yield a victory for Japan’s governing coalition. Meanwhile, the police scramble to determine the motive and method of Abe’s killer.
A consultancy predicts “a wave of sympathy votes” for the Liberal Democratic Party, in which Abe had retained significant influence after his resignation. The party was already ahead of the kill of winning in the polls.
Abe’s death has raised questions about security measures for public figures in Japan, where politicians often address voters directly during election campaigns in train stations, supermarkets and other public places.