1st LD Writethru: Abe eyes continued LDP majority rule in upper house elections, reaffirms economic goals

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Monday he is not planning to dissolve the lower house of parliament and call a snap election ahead of the triennial upper house elections this summer.

Speaking at a press conference as the Diet kicks off an ordinary session Monday, earlier in the year than usual, the leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party of Japan (LDP), while stating that he "is not considering at all" dissolving the lower house to call a snap election, said that maintaining his ruling bloc's majority in the upcoming upper house elections would be a priority.

"To advance politics in a stable way under the coalition government of the Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito, I would like the LDP and Komeito to secure a majority in the House of Councillors," the prime minister said. "I will do the utmost to win that victory,"Abe said at the New Year press conference.

On matters of Constitutional reform, the prime minister said that efforts in this regard will be stepped up and be one of the focal points of the upcoming election. "Through such calls, I would like to deepen national debate about the issue,"said Abe.

Abe, who has entered his fourth year as prime minister, also said that following Japan, China and South Korea holding a sixth trilateral summit in November, marking the first time the three countries had done so since 2012 owing to regional tensions, he is hoping for the nations'foreign ministers to hold talks this year ahead of a leaders'summit also slated for this year to be held in Japan.

He said that following last year's summit, the often tense relations Japan has had with its closest neighbors are now"normalizing"and that he is hoping for continued progress in this direction.

Forging a peace treaty with Russia will also be a focal point this year, Abe maintained, as the two countries have failed to do so since the end of WWII owing to a territorial dispute.

The Japanese leader said that both himself and Russian President Vladimir Putin held the view that not having a peace treaty is"abnormal."He went on to say that Russia's role in fighting terrorism remains crucial and also highlighted the mounting crisis between Iran and Syria.

On economic issues, the prime minister also reaffirmed his commitment to fiscal reform policies, stating that he remained driven to achieving his 600 trillion yen (5 trillion U.S. dollars) GDP target by around 2020, as well as raising the birthrate to 1.8 children per woman in a bid to boost the population and tackle the shrinking birthrate.

Abe said that the Bank of Japan and government's bid to combat deflation since the introduction of his "Abenomics"policies in 2012 have been positive and that deflation has been effectively tackled.

"We have put the utmost priority on the economy for these three years. We are still half way but we have created a situation that is no longer seen as deflation," Abe told the news conference, although later back-pedaled stating that deflation hadn't been completely conquered. Endit