The Japan Times newsroom selected the following domestic news stories as the most important of 2017.

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1. The tension builds: North Korea launched a spate of ballistic missiles, including two that flew over Hokkaido, as the reclusive state swapped barbs with the United States. The threat to Japan prompted many municipalities to hold their first-ever evacuation drills in preparation for a possible attack.

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2. Abe wins: Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's ruling coalition won by a landslide in October's general election, securing more than two-thirds of the seats in the Lower House. Abe's fifth straight triumph in the national poll raised the 63-year-old's chances of winning a third term as the head of the Liberal Democratic Party.