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
Hakubun Shimomura deputy chief cabinet secretary in the first government of Shinzo Abe in 2006. Shimomura was again appointed to the Cabinet by Shinzo Abe as minister of education, culture, sports, science and technology on 26 December 2012. As minister, Shimomura expanded the ability of local schools to provide Saturday classes and pushed for the globalization of Japanese universities by increasing English skills and hiring more foreign faculty. He oversaw preparations by the Organising Committee for the 2020 Summer Olympics on behalf of the national government in Tokyo before being replaced by Olympics Minister Toshiaki Endo on June 25, 2015. Following the