Shinzo Abe faces tough electoral test

July 29, 2007

Japan's ruling conservative camp is facing defeat in elections for the country's upper house of parliament. The election for half the seats in parliament's 242-member upper house comes just 10-months after Abe took over as leader of the main ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). Abe came into office pledging to boost Japan's global security profile, rewrite its pacifist constitution and nurture economic growth. But his popularity has been dented by a series of gaffes and scandals that led to the resignations of two cabinet members and one to commit suicide.