Japanese PM Fumio Kishida re-elected a month after first taking office

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is applauded in Parliament on Wednesday after being re-elected to his post during a Diet session in Tokyo. Photo by Kimimasa Mayama/EPA-EFE Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida gestures as he puts rosettes by successful general election candidates' names on a board at the party headquarters in Tokyo on October 31. File Pool Photo by Behrouz Mehr/EPA-EFE Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks during a news conference at the prime minister's official residence in Tokyo on October 14. File Pool Photo by Eugene Hoshiko/EPA-EFE Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida answers a opposition party's question during a Lower House's plenary session at the National Diet in Tokyo on October 11. File Photo by Keizo Mori/UPI Newly-elected Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida stands after the election for the new Prime Minister at Lower House's plenary session at the National Diet in Tokyo on October 4. File Photo by Keizo Mori/UPI

Nov. 10 (UPI) -- Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida was re-elected on Wednesday after his party won more than half of the seats in the lower house of Parliament.

He said the vote shows the people of Japan want stability over change.

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Kishida was first elected by Japanese Parliament a month ago to succeed Yoshihide Suga. After taking office, he dissolved the lower house to make way for the election on Oct. 31 so the people could "choose the future of Japan."

Kishida's governing party won 261 of the lower house's 465 seats in the election, enough to give the prime minister a big enough majority to freely pass legislation in the Diet.

Kishida was expected to fill out his second Cabinet later on Wednesday with all but one of the ministers from his first Cabinet. He named former Education Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi as foreign minister.

Former chief Cabinet Secretary Hiroyuki Hosoda was named speaker of the lower chamber and Banri Kaieda was named vice speaker. Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will become chair of Kishida's party, the Liberal Democrats.

After his first election, Kishida promised Japan a "new capitalism" plan to include economic growth and bridging the wealth gap.

Among other items, Kishida's party seeks to pass a $265 billion supplementary budget that includes COVID-19 stimulus measures like direct cash distribution.