Russian President Vladimir Putin again topped Forbes magazine's list of The World's Most Powerful People in 2016 on Wednesday, while Prime Minister Shinzo Abe rose to 37th place from 41st last year.
Putin, 64, has been No. 1 for four years in a row now. He has exerted "his country's influence in nearly every corner of the globe" and "continues to get what he wants," the website of the major business magazine said.
The second most powerful figure of the year is U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, Forbes said. Trump was ranked 72nd in 2015.
Third and fourth are German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Chinese President Xi Jinping, respectively.
The highest-ranking Japanese figure is Toyota Motor Corp. CEO Akio Toyoda at 29th, followed by Abe.
Bank of Japan Gov. Haruhiko Kuroda was ranked 47th and SoftBank Group Corp. CEO and President Masayoshi Son 53rd.
Abe, 62, "has employed a set of economic policies dubbed 'Abenomics,' and has pumped billions of dollars into Japan's economy to kick-start growth," Forbes said.
"Although the remedy isn't working quite as well as he'd like, 'Teflon Abe' remains widely popular," the magazine said.
Although U.S. President Barack Obama came in third on the Forbes list in 2015, he tumbled to 48th place this year, with Trump set to take office on Jan. 20.
"America's outgoing president faces a legacy in jeopardy as his successor has threatened to unravel signature achievements, including health care reform and the Iranian nuclear accord," Forbes said.
