Premier Abe retains majority in parliament

tokio - The Japanese government parties have made a big victory in Sunday's election. The LDP party of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and coalition partner Komeito, according to the Japanese Broadcasting Corporation, can claim NHK a second-thirds majority in the House of Commons.

Although the final outcome is not yet known, the Conservative Liberal Democratic Party of Abe can in any event count on 283 of the 465 seats. That's less than before the election, but it is still good for a large parliamentary majority. Komeito definitely won 29 seats.

The new Yuriko Koike Hope Party, the popular Tokyo governor, scored worse than expected according to NHK. The party can count on about 49 seats.

Premier Abe disbanded parliament this year to pave the way for early elections. His popularity was still under pressure by scandals earlier this year, but because of the crisis in North Korea he was able to profile himself as a strong leader.