As recently as spring the administration of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was in disarray, weakened by what appeared to be an unstoppable flow of scandals and missteps that jeopardized his chances of being re-elected in a leadership election slated for September.

But as this year's tumultuous ordinary Diet session effectively drew to a close on Friday, Abe appeared to be in the clear after all and regaining momentum for a historic third term as president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party. Winning the September election would extend his term until September 2021, putting him on course to become Japan's longest-serving prime minister.

"There was a time when a big question mark hung over Abe's shot at re-election, but now it looks like he's a shoo-in for the LDP election after all, unless something really crazy happens," said Kazuhisa Kawakami, a professor of political science at the International University of Health and Welfare.