Mr. Abe didn't visit but sent an offering of a potted tree used in rituals.
There were some glimmers of hope for the BOJ and Mr. Abe in the data.
Mr. Abe's economic team is busy dismissing any talk that the end is near.
But could an Abe-led government really snap Japan out of its seemingly interminable economic malaise?
Abe also wants to carry out political reforms such as changing Japan's constitution which enshrines pacifism.
But there were no suggestions that the honeymoon between Mr. Abe and the markets is over.
Surveys suggest that support for Mr Abe's government has slumped to little over 30%.
Mr Abe's current emphasis on stamping out amakudari suggests a tin ear for the public mood.
Mr. Abe has set his sights on inflation, and perhaps he's going to get some.
Mr. Abe may want to avoid difficult reforms ahead of parliamentary upper house elections in July.
In fact, Abe would say it is a process that has yet to begin.
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Clearly, on the general issue of amendment public opinion has been trending in support of Abe.
Mr. Abe's fresh acknowledgment of Japan's actions comes after weeks of escalating diplomatic tension with neighbors.
Kick-starting the economy has been Abe's top priority since he took office late last year.
Maybe Honest Abe was right after all about the better angels of our nature.
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Judging from his pre-election campaign, Abe plans to take a strong stance on these issues.
Mr. Abe is pro-nuclear power, but his office said he wouldn't comment on Rokkasho.
Abe has promised to make his first foreign visit a call on President Obama in January.
Some of this weakening is being attributed to expectations of looser money under an Abe government.
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And as luck would have it, Abe gets to appoint the next BOJ governor.
It also isn't clear whether Mr. Abe will succeed in spurring a lasting economic recovery.
When I told my friend Abe that barbecuing might be risky, he was thrilled.
Let's begin a summer's ponder about globalization's future by considering George W. Bush and Shinzo Abe.
It questions whether Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's government is exaggerating the incident to "sway public opinion".
Opinion polls gave a swift verdict: Mr Abe's popularity, which had plumbed abysmal depths, shot up.
LDP's kingmaker and is peeved that Mr Abe has not heeded all his advice was ominous.
Abe will probably persist with bond buying and inflation targets as his primary tools.
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After the meeting, Mr Abe and Mr Obama dined with US Vice-President Joe Biden.
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