Japan's ruling bloc wins upper house elections, constitutional reform suffers setback

Japan's ruling bloc, led by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, maintained a majority in the upper house by winning more than half the seats in Sunday's elections.

However, the ruling party and those who advocated constitutional reform suffered a major setback as the needed 85 seats for an amendment could not be secured, according to Xinhua.

There were 370 candidates contesting for 124 seats -- 74 of which are chosen' in specific districts while 50 are chosen through proportional representation.

Out of the seats, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and its coalition partner Komeito clinched 69 seats. They maintained the majority as they already hold 70 seats in the uncontested half of the 245-seat chamber.

As per the electoral reform, seats in the upper house will increase to 248 in 2022. Even though members of the upper house serve six-year terms, polls are held for around half the seats every three years.