Japan's new PM vows tighter ties with US

[NewsCaster]

Yoshikazu Tsuno  / AFP - Getty Images Incoming Japanese premier Shinzo Abe arrives for a breakfast meeting with Japanese business leaders in Tokyo on Tuesday. By Arata Yamamoto, NBC NewsTOKYO - Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe did not sound triumphant even after his party was swept back into power over the weekend.

"This victory doesn't necessarily mean that we have completely recovered everyone's trust,” he said in a speech on Tuesday after his conservative Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) defeated the center-left Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ).  “I realize we are still being scrutinized by the public and with that sense of urgency, we must push forward and produce results.”

Part of regaining that trust will likely be the new administration's expected overhaul its diplomatic strategy, starting with a revamp of Tokyo’s relationship with Washington. Amid ongoing territorial disputes with Russia, South Korea and China, the incoming prime minister underlined the importance of U.S.-Japanese ties.

NBCNews