Shinzo Abe re-elected as Japanese prime minister

Japan's parliament on Wednesday re-elected Shinzo Abe as prime minister with an overwhelming majority following the conservative leader's mid-December election triumph.

The powerful lower house voted for the 60-year-old Abe with 328 votes against 73 for acting opposition leader Katsuya Okada.

The vote was followed by an upper house poll that officially confirmed Abe's reappointment as premier.