Five years on, Shinzo Abe prepares for second chance in Japan

In the dying days of his first spell as prime minister of Japan, Shinzo Abe was clearly in a lot of discomfort.

Officially, a chronic stomach ailment was cited as the main reason for his resignation on September 12, 2007, but Abe's grimaces could just as easily have been attributed to external afflictions. There was his party's poor performance in the recent general election, the suicide of a cabinet colleague over a financial scandal and the resignation of his replacement after just one week.

No wonder that many offered "nervous breakdown" as an alternative diagnosis.

Five years later, Abe's smile is back. There is a spring in his step and he has announced himself a changed man who deserves another chance.

If the opinion polls are correct and the Liberal Democratic Party's return as the largest party after Sunday's general election, 58-year-old Abe will have that opportunity.

Abe is so confident of the outcome that he has dismissed the suggestion that he form a "grand coalition" with the ruling Democratic Party of Japan in order to get the country back on its feet.

He has even announced that he plans to travel to Washington in January for meetings with US President Barack Obama, with the issue of China's rising influence top of the agenda.