Japanese lawmakers endorsed acting Bank of Japan chief Masaaki Shirakawa as its new governor Wednesday, ending a power vacuum at the central bank's helm by approving the government's third candidate for the job, the Associated Press reported. In the latest balloting, shown live on the Internet, the Upper House approved Shirakawa to take the bank governorship 231-7. It voted down nominee Hiroshi Watanabe 121-115 as one of two deputy governors.