TOKYO (Sputnik) — Shinzo Abe was re-elected to the post of Japanese prime minister after a vote in the country's lower house of parliament, a Sputnik correspondent reported from the conference room.
The Cabinet
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told reporters that Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe formed the country's government on Wednesday after his re-election, leaving it unchanged.
Taro Aso will again fulfill his duties as Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister. Taro Kono remained Foreign Minister, while Itsunori Onodera retained the post of Defense Minister. The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry will continue to be run by Hiroshige Seko, who is also responsible for economic cooperation with Russia.
Abe heads the Liberal Democratic Party, which received the majority of votes in the elections of lawmakers to the House of Representatives October 22, retaining the post of the prime minister. The party seeks to amend the country's constitution, in particular, Article 9 drafted by the US, adding a specific status of the Self-Defense Forces (SDF), as well as the provision more power to the prime minister during a state of national emergency. The current constitution bans the maintenance of armed forces, though the Japanese government managed to set military forces used solely for self-defense and, due to 2015 bill, allowing them to fight abroad to defend the country's allies in he event of war.
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Shinzo Abe has vowed to take all necessary measures to cease the North Korean threat. The crisis on the Korean peninsula has recently escalated due to Pyongyang's nuclear and missile tests.
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The LDP's landslide victory in the snap election in Japan was explained by experts by weak opposition from the Party of Hope, established by Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike. The party had failed to challenge the LDP due to inconsistency in Koike's short-lived campaign.
