Japan ruling bloc to keep simple majority in upper house, may get 2/3- NHK exit poll

TOKYO, July 21 (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's ruling bloc will keep a solid majority in parliament's upper house in Sunday's election and has a shot, together with allies, at keeping the two-thirds majority needed to keep his dream of revising the pacifist constitution alive, an NHK exit poll showed.

The NHK exit poll said Abe's Liberal Democratic Party and its junior partner, the Komeito party, would take between 67-77 of the 124 seats contested in election for the 245-seat upper house, which together with uncontested seats, assures them a majority.

To maintain the two-thirds majority needed to revise the constitution, the coalition and like-minded allies need to win 85 seats in Sunday's poll. (Reporting by Kiyoshi Takenaka and Linda Sieg Editing by Chang-Ran Kim)