Japan in 2018: Abe Administration Surviving Scandals, Consolidating Power

Japan’s Prime Minister Abe Shinzo won a third term as Liberal Democratic Party president in September 2018 despite two crony scandals. As Abe is likely to remain as prime minister till 2021, he is set to hike consumption tax in 2019, organise the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics, raise defence spending and probably revise the constitution. Abe’s most significant legislative victory in 2018 was the revision of the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Law.