When health issues forced him to resign as prime minister late last August, it appeared that Shinzo Abe’s reign at the top was over.
But more than eight months later, Abe says his health is better as he moves to re-establish his power base among younger Liberal Democratic Party conservatives who share his long-cherished goal of constitutional revision.
However, with past scandals involving Abe still making headlines and party presidential and general elections set for later this year, he could find any attempt to expand his influence within the party limited to close allies and rejected by an LDP rank-and-file more focused on public concerns over the coronavirus pandemic than on ideological issues.