Abe victory will end Japan’s pacifist law

SHINZO ABE was re-elected as head of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in Japan yesterday and is expected to quickly attempt to follow through on a campaign promise to revise the nation’s pacifist constitution.

Mr Abe took 553 of the 807 votes, defeating his sole challenger, Shigeru Ishiba, a former defence minister.

The win means Mr Abe is on course to become Japan’s longest-serving prime minister. A combination of the LDP’S firm grip on power and the fact that Japan’s next general election does not have to be called until 2021, in November next year Mr Abe is likely to surpass the 2,886 days that Taro Katsura spent as prime minister from 1902.

Mr Abe is soon expected to put forward the first proposals to amend a constitution which says Japan renounces war and forbids the use of force to settle international disputes, a change he has wanted to make for much of his political career.