Polling stations have opened in Japan for Sunday’s election to the upper house of parliament. The vote comes two days after former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was shot dead in the middle of an election campaign speech.
The election is expected to strengthen Abe’s Liberal Democratic Party’s position in parliament. The party rules the country in a coalition.
The current Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has emphasized the importance of the democratic process taking place despite the grief and shock.