[2] At a joint press conference Hakuo Yanagisawa, who was appointed Minister of Health, Labor and Welfare, spoke to a number of issues including reform of the Social Insurance Agency, measures against the decline in the birthrate, the unification of the Employees Pension Plan and the Mutual Pension Plan for public servants, and revision of labor-related laws.

[2] At the onset Prime Minister Abe's approval rating was 70%, but dropped to 30%[3] prior to the 2007 House of Councilors election, which resulted in the LDP losing the Upper House to the Democratic Party of Japan and becoming the second party for the first time in its history.

Abe took office as the first Japanese Prime Minister born in the postwar period.

He maintained Koizumi's emphasis on the U.S.-Japan alliance as the basis of national defense, but he wanted Japan to be a more equal partner.

One goal of his administration was to revise Japan's constitution to normalize the use of military force.