Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe won re-election as leader of his ruling party on Thursday, setting him on course to become the country's longest-serving premier and realize his dream of reforming the constitution.
The 63-year-old conservative secured 553 votes against 254 won by former defense minister Shigeru Ishiba, in a two-horse race for leader of the Liberal Democratic Party. The win effectively hands Abe three more years as PM, giving him the chance of breaking the record for the nation's longest-serving premiership.
Japan's former defense minister Shigeru Ishiba (C) gestures next to prime minister Shinzo Abe (front R) during the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) leadership election, Tokyo, on Sept. 20, 2018. /VCG Photo
Abe will head to New York this weekend to attend the UN General Assembly and hold a summit with US President Donald Trump.
While Abe and Trump seem to enjoy each other's company on a golf course and are close diplomatic allies, Abe has to confront a growing trade dispute as Trump has made it clear that he is unhappy about the bilateral trade imbalance.
The two are also expected to analyze the latest inter-Korean summit in their eighth summit.
Abe aims to use the election to push his dream of reforming the country's post-World War II pacifist constitution. He has frequently voiced his wish to rewrite the charter, which forces the country to "forever renounce war" and dictates that armed forces will "never be maintained."
Japan's prime minister Shinzo Abe after winning the leadership vote at the party's headquarters in Tokyo, Japan, September 20, 2018. /VCG Photo
His call has been rebuked with fury by Japan's neighbors China and South Korea, which were invaded by Japanese military aggression in the 20th century.
Local media also reported Abe's plans to reshuffle his cabinet on October 1, but he intends to retain vice prime minister and finance minister Taro Aso, a political ally who has backed his "Abenomics" strategy.