What's new

Shinzo Abe re-elected as Japan's prime minister

BoQ77

BANNED
Joined
Jul 29, 2012
Messages
8,704
Reaction score
0
Country
Viet Nam
Location
Viet Nam
Shinzo Abe re-elected as Japan's prime minister
_79922218_025205128-1.jpg

Mr Abe had called a snap election to gain a new mandate for his reforms

Japanese MPs have re-elected Shinzo Abe to serve another term as prime minister after his party's landslide victory in snap elections earlier this month.

Mr Abe won 328 votes against 73 in the lower house of parliament, or Diet.

After the upper house confirmed his re-appointment, Mr Abe named a largely unchanged cabinet, with the only new face Defence Minister Gen Nakatani.

The 14 December election was seen as a referendum on Mr Abe's difficult and potentially unpopular economic reforms.

His cabinet resigned en masse on Wednesday morning to pave the way for the re-election.

Confirmation was a formality as the governing Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and its coalition partner Komeito hold a majority in both houses.

Gen Nakatani replaces Akinori Eto as defence minister.

Mr Eto is said to have declined to remain in his post after being embroiled in a political funds scandal in September, shortly after Mr Abe's last reshuffle.

Low voter turnout

Mr Abe had called a snap election for the lower Diet to seek a new mandate. The ruling coalition won a two-thirds majority amid a low voter turnout.

Observers attributed the win largely to the lack of a real political alternative with the opposition in disarray. Many voters were bemused by the snap election.

Central to the election campaign were Mr Abe's controversial economic policies, known as "Abenomics", which are aimed at ending deflation in the country.

Japan saw an initial burst of growth shortly after he was elected in 2012, but the imposition of a sales tax hike in April saw growth slump. Japan entered a technical recession this quarter.

Mr Abe plans to delay a second increase in the sales tax which was originally scheduled for 2015.

After the LDP won the parliamentary elections earlier this month, Mr Abe admitted that "there are still a lot of people who are still not feeling the benefits" but promised that his economic policies, once they were fully realised, would bring benefits to Japan.
 
HAHA ... Abe's "Consumption Tax UP" policy still working in Japan economy.
 
Yeah Reviving Japan's economy is one of the major challanges
And Abe did fail at it miserably.His next term will be same like previous one-failure after failure.More fail reforms,more "miracles"like Abenomics,more taxations and of course more BoJ printing to buy Japan goverment bonds(which are not exactly popular amongs investors).
 
I am curious as to how Abenomics will pan out in coming years ! Good development though.
 
The Chinese are happy with Abe re elected 2nd term becos Japan will continue to contract or under develop under him. China will reach 14 trillion economy and Japan can stick with 5 trillion economy in next few years time :D
 
Japanese PM unveils new government, defense pick may rile China
By Elaine Lies and Tetsushi Kajimoto

TOKYO Wed Dec 24, 2014 9:41am EST


1 of 2. Japan's new Defence Minister Gen Nakatani arrives at Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's official residence in Tokyo December 24, 2014.
Credit: Reuters/Thomas Peter

2 of 2. Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (C) is escorted by security officers upon his arrival at the parliament in Tokyo December 24, 2014.
Credit: REUTERS/Toru Hanai

(Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe unveiled a new cabinet on Wednesday, appointing a defense chief whose desire for a stronger pre-emptive strike capability could rile neighbor China.

Gen Nakatani, a lawmaker who served in the armed forces for several years, has served as defense minister before and favors Japan having the ability to hit enemy bases pre-emptively in the face of imminent attack.

He replaces Akinori Eto, who had faced questions over his use of political funds. The rest of the cabinet, Abe's third since he returned to power late in 2012, was unchanged.

Abe stressed Nakatani's experience as the reason for his appointment, while emphasizing the need to improve ties with China, South Korea and Russia.

Despite suggestions that a record-low election turnout 10 days ago had devalued his victory, Abe vowed to push on with his "Abenomics" brand of stimulus policies and craft an economic package later this week while pursuing a more assertive security stance.

"A strong economy will allow us to build strong diplomacy, which is closely linked with security. That's the very reason I have promised to place the utmost priority on the economy," Abe told a televised news conference.

His choice of Nakatani for the defense portfolio is a nod to concerns about growing threats from nuclear-armed North Korea and China.

Nakatani's appointment could draw fire from China, especially given Abe's stated goal of a stronger security profile for Japan that includes passing a law in 2015 to reinterpret its pacifist constitution.

This would allow the country to come to the aid of an ally and pave the way for its troops to fight overseas for the first time since World War Two.

Nakatani, 57 and a graduate of the National Defence Academy, said on Wednesday that this would be only for defensive reasons and was not to be seen as a means to go to war or invade another country.

The Dec. 14 election, which returned his coalition with a large majority, was billed by Abe as a mandate on his reflationary economic policies that include hyper-easy monetary policy, government spending and promises of deregulation.

His Liberal Democratic Party and coalition partner Komeito maintained their two-thirds "super majority" in the vote, but turnout fell to a record low 53.3 percent.
 

Latest posts

Pakistan Affairs Latest Posts

Back
Top Bottom