Japan's parliament re-elects Shinzo Abe as prime minister
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Japan's lower house of parliament has re-elected Shinzo Abe as prime minister after his party won a resounding victory in a snap election last month.
Abe easily won the race Wednesday with 312 votes in the 465-seat lower house. He is expected to reappoint the same ministers to his Cabinet later in the day.
The 63-year-old Abe dissolved the lower house in late September to force an election. Political analysts saw the move as an attempt to win a fresh public mandate and re-establish his hold on power after a plunge in his approval ratings last summer.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Oct. 22 election victory boosted Abe's chances of being re-elected as leader of his Liberal Democratic Party next September to a fresh three-year term. He has been prime minister since December 2012.