Devin Stewart

Thanks to popular support for his economic revitalization platform, known as “Abenomics,” Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) won a solid victory in Sunday’s upper house election with its coalition partner New Komeito. The much anticipated result ends the country’s “twisted parliament,” giving the LDP control of both chambers of parliament for as long as three years, barring early elections.

Through the late 80s and 90s, protests everywhere from Berlin to Seattle revealed a common target of public unrest: globalization. Jobs and industries in rich countries were moving to emerging markets, and the free flow of capital led to concerns about financial instability and a competitive lowering of environmental standards.