Japan’s Kishida calls for unity to achieve Abe’s unmet goals

TOKYO (AP) – Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has called for party unity to achieve the assassinated former leader Shinzo Abe’s unfinished goals of strengthening the military and revising the war-renouncing constitution.

Kishida has a better chance of achieving Abe’s goal after his ruling block secured more seats in parliament’s upper house in elections Sunday.

Kishida welcomed the victory but also acknowledged that unifying the party will be a hard task without the influential Abe.

Also Monday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Kishida to offer his condolences. Blinken says Japan and the U.S. are friends as well as allies.