Public broadcaster NHK reported that Abe’s Liberal Democratic Party and its allies had secured two-thirds of the seats in the lower house of Parliament.

The result is a major turnaround in the fortunes of Abe who was dogged by a series of scandals that had battered his popularity. In the midst of the scandals, he had adopted a hawkish strategy toward North Korea. He began pushing for amending the constitution to free the military of the constraints imposed after World War II.

It appears that Abe took the opposition by surprise by calling for snap elections. The opposition parties were neither prepared with alternative policies and proposals, nor with any sort of plan to take on Abe in the elections. Abe’s proposal to amend the constitution was the major issue in the campaign.

Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike was expected to mount a serious challenge to Abe, but was not prepared for snap elections. Her chances dimmed further when she decided not to run for office. But she damaged the prospects of other parties by splitting the opposition votes.

In Japan, the candidate who gets the most votes in a constituency is declared the winner. In the run-up to the elections, a number of parties emerged. The opposition vote was split among their candidates. This ensured a comfortable victory for candidates of the incumbent Liberal Democratic Party in most of the constituencies.

Under the circumstances, the vote for the Liberal Democratic Party seems to be a victory by default or, at best, an expression of a desire for stability rather than an endorsement of Abe’s policies and proposals.

Abe may have been pushed by US President Donald Trump’s call for Japan to defend itself rather than depend on the Americans. But he will need to get the nation behind him for the amendment to the constitution. Sunday’s victory will only ensure that he has until 2021 to persuade the Japanese to back his proposal to amend the constitution.

The question is whether this look outward policy will have any impact on the other major problem facing Japan — an aging population. The aging population is also putting a strain on the economy. The lack of growth or positive movement in the economy has been weighing in on the island nation for the major part of this decade.

What the Japanese now have is continuity and stability in government for the next four years.

If not for North Korea’s acts of hostility, the Japanese would be busy preparing to host the Olympics in 2020, which is expected to boost the economy.

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Earlier on Monday, Abe had announced his decision to call a snap election, which is expected to take place in the second half of October.

Abe came to power in 2012 on the promise of resurrecting the stagnating economy. His performance on the economic front created an impression that he would succeed in retaining his job in the next elections in 2018. But, his popularity began to wane following some controversial decisions, scandals and allegations of using his position to help friends. One line of thinking is that Abe called snap elections to avoid facing difficult questions in parliament.

One of his controversial proposals is to allow troops to fight overseas. Also, an anti-terror law did not go down well with the people. His Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has suffered defeats in local elections.

But his ratings rose after he took a strong stand against North Korea for firing two missiles over Japan. His decision to call for a snap election is being seen as an effort to take advantage of this rise in popularity. He hopes to take advantage of the divisions in the opposition, which lacks a strong leader. However, that could change.

Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike, who left his party in May, is emerging as an alternative to Abe. Her allies scored a resounding victory in local elections in Tokyo where Koike enjoys wide popularity.

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