Shinzo Abe - Shinzo Abe succeeded Junichiro Koizumi as prime minister and head of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in September 2006. At 52, the former chief cabinet secretary is Japan's youngest leader since World War II. Analysts expect the conservative Mr Abe to pursue economic reforms and spending cuts - policies that his predecessor set in motion. He advocates a more assertive role for Japan on the world stage and backs a tighter alliance with the US. He says he wants to rewrite the 1947 pacifist constitution. Although a relative newcomer to politics, Shinzo Abe has a strong political pedigree. He is the son of the late Shintaro Abe, a former foreign minister, and the grandson of 1950s premier Nobusuke Kishi. He entered parliament in 1993 and came to prominence when he took a tough stance with North Korea over the abduction of Japanese citizens in the 1970s and 1980s.