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Japan's parliament Wednesday elected Shinzo Abe as the prime minister, as the nation faces the challenges of deflation, an aging population and a rising influence of China in the region.
The hawkish leader of the center-right Liberal Democratic Party returned to power, defeating former Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda's Democratic Party*after just three years in office.
The LDP was swept out of office by the DPJ in 2009, ending more than 50 years of nearly uninterrupted rule.
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