Prime Minister Shinzo Abe won a ruling party leadership vote on Thursday, setting him on track to become Japan's longest-serving premier and try to cement his legacy, including by revising the pacifist constitution.
Mr. Abe, who surged back to power in 2012 promising to reboot the economy and strengthen defence, defeated former defence minister Shigeru Ishiba in the election for Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) chief, winning 553 votes to Ishiba's 254. Of the 810 votes up for grabs, 807 were valid.
If Mr.Abe stays in office through November 2019, he will have exceeded the 2,886 days marked by Taro Katsura in the early 20th century
Japan's longest-serving premier and try to cement his legacy, including by revising the pacifist constitution.
First, however, he must confront the immediate challenge of a likely summit with U.S. President Donald Trump next week, when he will face pressure to cut Japan's $69 billion surplus with its key ally, nearly two-thirds from auto exports.
Mr. Abe must also keep economic growth on track with a dwindling policy tool-kit. After years of heavy money printing, the Bank of Japan has little ammunition left. Japan's huge public debt and rising social welfare costs for a fast-ageing population also leave Abe with little room to ramp up fiscal spending.
High among Mr. Abe's personal priorities is revising the post-war constitution's pacifist Article 9 to clarify the military's ambiguous status.
