The New Nation - Internet Edition

AFP, Tokyo

Japan's new Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda vowed Wednesday to tackle income inequality and keep improving ties with Asian neighbours as a poll showed his government enjoyed robust support Fukuda, a 71-year-old veteran moderate lawmaker, donned a formal black tailcoat Wednesday morning to visit the palace, where Emperor Akihito ceremonially inaugurated his cabinet Amid growing calls for snap elections, Fukuda was braced for a showdown with the opposition, which swept elections in July in a backlash against scandals that embroiled previous premier Shinzo Abe's government