IN BRIEF (Page 12)

China Daily | Updated: 2019-07-22 07:38

Japan

Abe's party favored in upper house election

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's ruling bloc is set to keep a solid majority in Japan's upper house election on Sunday and, with allies, could seal the two-thirds majority needed to keep alive his dream of revising the pacifist constitution, an NHK exit poll showed. Abe's Liberal Democratic Party and its junior partner, the Komeito party, will likely to take from 67 to 77 of the 124 seats being contested in parliament's 245-seat upper house. That, together with uncontested seats, assures them a majority. Still up in the air is whether the ruling bloc and its allies will keep the two-thirds "super majority" needed to begin the process of revising the constitution's pacifist Article 9 to further legitimize the military, a controversial step. To maintain that majority, pro-revision forces need to win 85 seats.

Police granted to arrest arson suspect

Police have obtained an arrest warrant for a suspect as soon as he regains consciousness from injuries in a deadly arson at a Kyoto animation studio. Kyoto police said on Sunday they are ready to arrest 41-year-old Shinji Aoba on arson and murder allegations. Aoba is accused of storming Kyoto Animation's studio on Thursday, setting it on fire and killing 34 people. The suspect is injured with severe burns on the face, torso and limbs. He was transferred to a hospital specializing in treating burns, police said. NHK and other media, quoting an unnamed source, said that Aoba had served prison terms for robbing a convenience store in 2012. The man reportedly told police that he set the fire because he thought" (Kyoto Animation) stole novels".

Portugal

1,000 firefighters battle wildfires

More than 1,000 firefighters battled three blazes sweeping across central Portugal early on Sunday, prompting authorities to partially evacuate a village and leaving one person with severe injuries. Strong winds are making it tougher for firefighters to put out the blazes, which started on Saturday afternoon in Castelo Branco, a district 225 kilometers northeast of the capital Lisbon. One village was partially evacuated as a precaution, Portugal's Civil Protection agency said, adding that one person had been taken by helicopter to a Lisbon hospital with first and second-degree burns. Seven firefighters were also injured. Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa said that he is following the situation closely and sent solidarity to those affected.

Agencies

(China Daily 07/22/2019 page12)