Straight-talking conservative elected Japanese PM

TOKYO -- A quick-smiling former Olympic skeetshooter with a penchant for tailored suits and manga comic books took power as Japan's third prime minister in two years Wednesday, vowing to boost a languishing economy. Lawmakers elected Taro Aso, a 68-year-old conservative popular with the young and known for his straight talk, after quelling an attempt by the upper house to install a rival as premier. In his first news conference as premier, he also vowed to rescue the ruling party from disaster in parliamentary elections. He stacked his Cabinet with fellow right-leaning veterans and pledged to go head-to-head with the resurgent opposition. "I appointed the right people in the right jobs so that we can live up to the people's expectations," Aso said. "We will head into the elections with this lineup, and will have a fair fight." The former foreign minister replaced the morose Yasuo Fukuda, who struggled during his year in office with a politically divided parliament and chronically low public support ratings. Fukuda's predecessor, Shinzo Abe, also lasted barely a year.