Japan's ruling coalition win threatens regional stability: Xinhua

China's official Xinhua news agency says a victory for Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's ruling coalition in parliament’s upper house elections poses a danger to regional stability.

According to Press TV, final counts on Sunday showed Abe's coalition had won the two-thirds “super majority” needed to try to revise constitutional restraints on the military.

Such a step - part of Japanese leaders' bid to part with the country's pacifist ways - could strain ties with China, where memories of Japan's past militarism run deep.

“With Japan's pacifist constitution at serious stake and Abe's power expanding, it is alarming both for Japan's Asian neighbors, as well as for Japan itself, as Japan's militarization will serve to benefit neither side,” Xinhua said in a commentary on Monday.

“As for Japan's Asian neighbors, due to historical reasons, they have been paying close attention to Japan's security policies and moves. Now, Japan's re-militarization as well as Abe gaining more power will become new causes for alarm for them,” it said.

Japan’s ruling coalition already enjoys a two-thirds majority in the lower house but it needs a super majority in the House of Councilors to start a parliamentary motion for changing the constitution.

Any legislation on that change, though, would need the approval of the public in the form of a referendum.

Abe, whose economic and military policies have been met with lukewarm public support, hopes that the new mandate would enable him to implement his controversial economic reforms, known as Abenomics.

ME