Voters in Japan headed to the polls Sunday for an upper house election, reeling from the death of long-serving former premier Shinzo Abe who was fatally shot on the campaign trail two days ago.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida vowed not to bow to violence after the assassination of his former boss on Friday. He pressed ahead with the campaign and voting as planned, saying everything would be done to ensure security.
Ballot boxes open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m., with major media set to publish exit polls as soon as voting ends. Half the seats in the less powerful upper house are contested every three years, with an extra vacant seat also up for grabs this time, for a total of 125 out of the 248-strong chamber.
