In 2005, when Junichiro Koizumi silenced critics in his party after winning a resounding electoral victory, many expected him to embark on a streak of deep structural reforms. Instead, after a fairly non-consequential year, he quietly bowed out of politics.
Nearly a decade later, his one-time protégé Shinzo Abe has earned himself the possibility of four more years in power after yesterday’s poll delivered his ruling coalition a robust majority in the lower house of parliament. That could see him remaining prime minister until late-2018, edging past Mr Koizumi’s five-and-a-half years in office.
Mr Abe is also expected to double down on his economic programme — a mix of fiscal and monetary stimulus as well as supply-side reforms, which has been dubbed Abenomics. Whenever he steps down, the question will be whether Abenomics has succeeded.