Shinzo Abe becomes Japan's longest continuously serving prime minister on Monday, passing Eisaku Sato's 2,798 straight days in office.
Abe, who is also president of the Liberal Democratic Party, returned to power in December 2012 when the LDP won an overwhelming victory in the House of Representatives elections, following about three years in opposition.
While promoting his Abenomics economic policy, Abe has made a series of achievements in foreign and security policies on the basis of the Japan-U.S. relationship.
Abe's ruling coalition has won six consecutive national elections, building a strong administrative base in which Abe is said to be the dominant power within the party.
Since the beginning of this year, however, the prime minister's approval rating has declined due to the spread of the novel coronavirus. Recently, there have also been concerns over his health.
Abe's term as president of the LDP expires in September 2021.
In November 2019, Abe became the longest-serving prime minister in the history of Japan's constitutional politics when including his first stint, surpassing Taro Katsura's 2,886 days before World War I.
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