Mr Abe won 339 votes out of 475 counted in the lower house and 136 ballots out of 240 in the upper house. He was elected president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party on September 20 by a two-thirds majority, winning 464 of the 702 votes cast.

Mr Abe is scheduled to hold a press briefing and announce his cabinet later on Tuesday.

Mr Abe was born on September 21, 1954, in Nagato, Yamaguchi. He is the son of Shintaro Abe, a former foreign minister and LDP secretary-general, and grandson of former Prime Minister Nobusuke Kishi (1957-60). He entered parliament in 1993 and then served as Koizumi's Chief Cabinet Secretary only from October 2005.

Earlier in the morning, Junichiro Koizumi stepped down as prime minister, paving the way for the voting of a new Prime Minister.

In his announcement of resignation, Mr Koizuimi thanked Japanese people and businessmen who have supported his economic reforms in the past five years.

VOVNews/CNN