Japan's parliament elects Fukuda prime minister

TOKYO: Japan's parliament elected Yasuo Fukuda（福田康夫） as prime minister yesterday and the political veteran（老手） immediately named a Cabinet that overlapped （交迭）considerably with the lineup（阵容） of his predecessor in an apparent bid to limit disruption following Shinzo Abe's（安倍晋三） shock resignation earlier this month.

Premier Wen Jiabao（温家宝） sent a congratulatory message to Fukuda, saying that the Chinese government will, "as always, stick to the policy of friendly relations with Japan, and is willing to work together to forge China-Japan strategic relations of mutual benefits and promote the sound, stable and long-term development of bilateral（双边） ties".

Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi also congratulated his Japanese counterpart Masahiko Komura.

In his first news conference as prime minister, Fukuda, 71, vowed to push for the extension of Japan's naval mission in support of US-led forces in Afghanistan.

He also vowed to clear up a scandal（丑闻） over the loss of millions of pension records and to regain the public's trust in politics.

Fukuda has pledged（保证） to keep Japan as a strong US ally in the fight against terrorism, improve relations with Asia, and provide assistance to rural areas left behind in Japan's economic recovery.

Fukuda also said that he will not pay homage（敬意） at the Yasukuni Shrine（靖国神社）, where Japanese war dead, including war criminals of World War II, are enshrined.