Shinzō Abe summit. October 2018 saw Abe making a landmark trip to China. Despite the Abe administration efforts to promote "multilateralism" on the global scale, Abe conceeded in his China visit the benefits of strong foundations on the bi-lateral level, pledging to see bilateral relations into further "dimensions". China`s enthusiasm with the visit of Japan`s Prime Minister showed reciprocity, with China announcing it`s invitation to Japan to participate in the maritime Belt and Road (丝绸之路经济带和21世纪海上丝绸之路) initiative. On 20 September 2018, Abe was re-elected as leader of the main ruling Liberal Democratic Party. The victory puts him on track to become Japan’s longest-serving
2014 Japanese general election re-appointed). The turnout in this election is the lowest in Japanese history. In 2012, the Democratic Party government under Yoshihiko Noda decided to implement a raise of the Japanese consumption tax. Following this move, the Liberal Democratic Party under Shinzo Abe regained control of the Japanese government in the December 2012 general election. Abe proceeded to implement a series of economic programs known as "Abenomics" in a bid to stimulate the economy. Despite these programs, Japan entered a technical recession in mid-2014, which Abe blamed on the consumption tax hike, even though many members of the LDP supported the hike.