Nearly seven years in office, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is betting that his handpicked ministers and ruling party lawmakers will give him a firmer -- and possibly longer -- grip on power.With relatively high support ratings and a track record of election wins, the 64-year-old Abe hopes to keep the wind blowing in his favor as he is set to deliver on his promise to go ahead with an unpopular consumption tax hike next month.Abe brought in new faces in his Cabinet reshuffle on Wednesday, with the surprise installment of rising political star Shinjiro Koizumi viewed as the prime minister's atte…READ FULL ARTICLE
