Peace, power, and politics—the three forces make for a delicate balance. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe put an exclamation point on his political comeback since resigning from the post in September 2007, leading his party to a landslide victory in Japan's upper house elections on July 22. He will become the most powerful Japanese prime minister in the last six years.

But whether his newfound power will be used to raise Japan out of its economic recession or to lash out against its neighbors has yet to be determined