Shinzo Abe has become Japan's youngest prime minister since World War Two. The 52-year-old nationalist was selected by the Japanese parliament as expected, and he wasted no time in announcing his cabinet.
Japanese lawmakers cheered the announcement Tuesday that Shinzo Abe, president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, had been selected as the country's new prime minister.
Within hours of the vote, Mr. Abe unveiled his cabinet lineup. Several officials from the administration of his predecessor, Junichiro Koizumi were retained, including Foreign Minister Taro Aso.
Aso says he believes the new administration will be able to achieve a Sino-Japanese summit. Mr. Koizumi angered China, and South Korea, with repeated visits to a Tokyo shrine that honors convicted war criminals among Japan's war dead, and a summit with China's leaders eluded him.
Mr. Abe, who has vowed to repair relations with Japan's neighbors, is scheduled to lay out his administration's goals in a policy speech to parliament on Friday.