Abe re-elected as Japan premier at post-election Diet session
14:32, 24 December 2014
TOKYO. KAZINFORM Shinzo Abe was re-elected as Japan's prime minister Wednesday at a special Diet session convened after his Liberal Democratic Party won a landslide victory in the Dec. 14 lower house general election.
Of the ballots cast by 470 members of the House of Representatives, 328 went to Abe and 73 to Katsuya Okada, acting leader of the main opposition Democratic Party of Japan. Abe also received 135 of the 240 ballots at the House of Councillors. Prior to the session, the Cabinet resigned to clear the way for Abe to form a new Cabinet later in the day, but most members will likely be reappointed, except for scandal-hit Defense Minister Akinori Eto who, according to LDP sources, will be replaced by former Defense Agency chief Gen Nakatani, 57, Kyodo reports.