Japan's new Cabinet to be launched

Japan's Diet is to elect Liberal  Democratic Party leader Shinzo Abe as the new prime minister,  following the party's landslide victory in the general election this  month, Japan's NHK world reported. A special Diet session will be convened on Wednesday afternoon to  choose a successor to outgoing Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda. He and  his cabinet stepped down in the morning. Abe is to be elected prime minister by voting in the Upper and  Lower Houses. He will be the first Japanese prime minister in 64 years to return  to the post after resigning. Abe served as prime minister for one  year until September 2007. Abe plans to immediately start forming his cabinet. He and his cabinet members will attend an attestation ceremony at  the Imperial Palace later in the day. After the ceremony, Abe will hold a news conference and convene the  first meeting of the new cabinet.