U.S. gov't hopes to continue working with Abe

The United States hopes to continue working with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe despite his ruling coalition's humiliating defeat in Sunday's House of Councillors election, a State Department spokesman said Monday.


"The United States has a strong relationship with Japan that goes back many years. We expect we'll be continuing to work with the prime minister and his government as things move forward," Tom Casey said at a news briefing. "In terms of what this election means or signifies for the Japanese political system, I'll leave that to the politicians and the analysts in Japan," he added.