Abe wins upper house poll but suffers constitutional reform setback

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's ruling coalition won Sunday's upper house election but his long-held hope of constitutional reform moved further out of reach after pro-amendment forces lost the two-thirds majority needed to initiate it.The coalition of the Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito, along with like-minded opposition and independent lawmakers, garnered 81 seats in total. Combined with seats uncontested this time, they secured 160, falling short of the 164 needed in the chamber to propose amending the pacifist Constitution.Abe has set his sights on revising the Constitution in 2020 but…READ FULL ARTICLE