A fringe far-right populist party in Japan was one of the biggest winners in the weekend’s upper house election.

By Kevin Buckland TOKYO (Reuters) -Japanese automakers led a surge in the Nikkei share average to a one-year peak on Wednesday, after Tokyo reached a trade deal with Washington, ending a months-long stalemate.

TOKYO (Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that Japan will form a joint venture to develop a liquefied natural gas project in Alaska though a Japanese government official said he was not aware of such plans.

Kansai Electric Power will begin surveys for the construction of a new nuclear power reactor at its Mihama power station in Fukui prefecture, western Japan, to replace the existing facility, the company said on Tuesday.

(Reuters) -European shares rose on Wednesday, led by automobiles, after U.S. President Donald Trump revived hopes for a trade deal with the EU following an agreement with Japan. The pan-European STOXX 600 index gained nearly 1% to 549.

ABC News' Britt Clennett reports on the impacts of the parliamentary election and tariff negotiations with the U.S.