Can Abe last his 4-year term?

Given Japan's sagging economy and mounting doubts, incumbent PM must play by the rules and improve ties with neighbors to succeed

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is expected to be in power until 2018 after his coalition won a big victory in the Dec 14 snap election. Abe's Liberal Democratic Party and coalition partner, the Komeito, won 326 of the 475 seats in the lower house of parliament, gaining a two-thirds "super-majority".

The election result shows Japanese voters had only two options: zero or minus. Voting for the main opposition Democratic Party of Japan, whose incompetent rule ended two years ago, would be a "minus" choice, making the LDP the better deal. Also, the turnout dropped to a record low of 52.38 percent, indicating that many voters favoring certain candidates had voluntarily relinquished their voting rights.