Tokyo, Nov.10: Fumio Kishida was re-elected as Japan's PM on Wednesday after his governing party scored a major victory in key parliamentary elections.

Elected just over a month ago by parliament, Kishida called a quick election in which his Liberal Democratic Party secured 261 seats in the 465-member lower house, the more powerful of Japan's two-chamber legislature, enough to maintain a free hand in pushing through legislation.

The October 31 victory strengthened his grip on power and was seen as a mandate from voters for his weeks-old government to tackle the pandemic-battered economy, manage the coronavirus and other challenges. Kishida said he saw the results as a signal that voters chose stability over change. “Now I will focus on promptly tackling various policy measures,” Kishida said after his reelection. -AP