After Electoral Drubbing, Abe Needs More Than Vision

After Electoral Drubbing, Abe Needs More Than Vision

TOKYO -- In a desperate attempt to jump-start the ruling party's fortunes after a recent electoral drubbing, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is set to announce a reshuffle of his Cabinet next week.

But it's going to take more than that if he wants to breathe life into his premiership.

Last month, the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) lost its majority in the House of Councilors, which is now led by a member for the opposition for the first time in 50 years. The loss was hardly a surprise -- the government's poll numbers had been on the slide almost since the Cabinet was inaugurated last September. But the scale of the defeat was still devastating for the party, and will make it considerably harder for it to push through legislation the main opposition Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) opposes.

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