Tokyo, Dec 14 (ANI): Voters in Japan headed for polling stations across the nation on Sunday in an election. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was said to claim a fresh mandate for economic policies. Voting, which began early in the morning has been cast as a referendum on his "Abenomics" strategy to end deflation and generate growth but some voters were dubious about the need to have elections so soon after the last one. Abe returned to power for a rare second term as premier in 2012 pledging to reboot Japan's economy, plagued by deflation and an ageing, shrinking population. But hopes for his "Three Arrows" of hyper-easy monetary policy, government spending and reforms such as deregulation were tarnished after the economy slipped into recession in the third quarter following an April sales tax rise. Recent data suggest any rebound is fragile and people are not feeling any of the benefits.