Abe won't quit after election, says official

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will not resign whatever the results of a July 29 election for parliament's upper house, a ruling party executive said after a string of polls showing the ruling camp was set to lose.

Media surveys have forecast a probable loss for Abe's coalition after his support rates slid to around 30 percent amid voter anger over bungled pension records and a series of gaffes and scandals that led ministers to resign and one to commit suicide.

"This election is not directly linked to selecting the prime minister, so I think Mr Abe will continue as prime minister," Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) policy chief Shoichi Nakagawa told a news conference yesterday.