Shinzo Abe was a Japanese politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan and President of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) from 2006 to 2007 and again from 2012 to 2020. He was known for being the longest-serving prime minister in Japanese history. In addition, he even served as Chief Cabinet Secretary from 2005 to 2006 under Junichiro Koizumi and was briefly leader of the opposition in 2012. His first stint in the political scene began when he was elected to the House of Representatives in the 1993 election. He was confirmed as prime minister by a special session of the National Diet, becoming Japan’s youngest post-war prime minister, and the first to have been born after World War II. He then resigned as prime minister just after one year in office due to medical complications from ulcerative colitis. After recovering from his illness, Abe staged an unexpected political comeback by defeating Shigeru Ishiba, the former defense minister, in a ballot to become LDP president for the second time in September 2012. In August 2020, Abe announced his second resignation as prime minister, citing a significant resurgence of his health condition. His book called “Toward a Beautiful Nation” (美しい国へ, Utsukushii kuni e) was published in July 2006, which became a bestseller in Japan. On 8th July 2022, he was assassinated by a former Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force sailor while delivering a campaign speech in Nara, prompting world leaders to express shock and offered condolences.
Shinzo Abe Shot Dead
On 8th July 2022 at 11:30 JST (UTC+9), Shinzo Abe was shot twice while delivering a campaign speech in Nara. The assassin used a homemade musket-style firearm which fired two shots, the first striking Abe in the neck and the second striking him fatally in the heart. A 41-year-old man named Tetsuya Yamagami, a former Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force sailor who served for three years from 2002 to 2005 was arrested following the shooting and later confessed to local police. Yamagami stated that he held a grudge against the Unification Church and shot Abe because he believed that “the religious group and Abe were connected”. Yamagami said he resented the fact that his mother was brainwashed by the religious group and went bankrupt. He also stated that he killed Abe because he believed he was the one who spread the religion to Japan. Yamagami claimed that he “didn’t have a grudge against Abe’s political beliefs”. After the shot, Abe was rushed to the Nara Medical University Hospital in Kashihara, where he was later pronounced dead at 17:03 JST. Prior to his arrival at the hospital, he had already shown no vital signs. Despite a transfusion of 100 units of blood, the blood loss was too great, and attempts to resuscitate Abe failed. Numerous present and former world leaders expressed their sympathies and support for Abe. His body was returned to Tokyo the day after his assassination and his funeral is being scheduled for 12 July. He dies at 67.
Shinzo Abe Famous For
- Being the Prime Minister of Japan from 2006 to 2007 and again from 2012 to 2020.
- Being the longest-serving Prime Minister in Japanese history.
When was Shinzo Abe born?
Shinzo Abe was born on 21st September 1954, in Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan to a prominent political family with significant economic influence throughout pre-war, wartime, and post-war Japan. His family was originally from Yamaguchi Prefecture, and Abe’s registered residence (honseki chi) is Nagato, Yamaguchi. He was Japanese by nationality and his ethnicity was Japanese-Asian. He lastly celebrated his 67th birthday as of 2022. His father, Shintaro Abe was the longest-serving post-war foreign minister of Japan and a leading member of the Liberal Democratic Party. His mother, Yoko Kishi was the daughter of Nobosuke Kishi, the former Prime Minister of Japan. Abe’s elder brother, Hironobu Abe, became president and CEO of Mitsubishi Shōji Packaging Corporation, while his younger brother, Nobuo Kishi, became Senior Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs. His maternal grandfather Nobusuke Kishi was de facto “economic king” of occupied China and Manchukuo, a Japanese puppet state in Northern China that was established after the Japanese invasion of Manchuria, in the lead-up to the Second Sino-Japanese War and World War II. Kishi went on to help found the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in 1955 and served as Prime Minister of Japan from 1957 until he had to resign in 1960 due to the Anpo protests. His paternal grandfather Kan Abe was a Yamaguchi landowner who served in the House of Representatives during World War II. About his education, he attended Seikei Elementary School and then went to Seikei Junior High School and Seikei Senior High School. Later, he enrolled at Seikei University to study political science and graduated from there, in 1977. After his graduation, he went to the USA to study public policy at USC Sol Price School of Public Policy in South California. He was there for only three semesters and returned to Japan at the beginning of 1979.
What did Shinzo Abe do for Japan?
- After his graduation, Abe returned to Japan where he started at Japan’s leading steel manufacturing company, Kobe Steel Ltd., in 1979 before resigning to pursue a political career.
- He left the company in 1982 and pursued a number of government positions including executive assistant to the Minister for Foreign Affairs, private secretary to the chairperson of the LDP General Council, and private secretary to the LDP secretary-general.
- He was elected to the House of Representatives for the Yamaguchi Prefecture district in 1993 and climbed up the LDP ladder, serving as the director of the social affairs division in 1999, the deputy chief cabinet secretary for Yoshirō Mori between 2000 and 2003, and the chief cabinet secretary to Prime Minister Junichirō Koizumi in 2005.
- He gained national popularity when he demanded that Japanese abductees visiting Japan remain in the country, in defiance of North Korea.
- On 23 April 2006, he was elected as the president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party.
- On 26th September 2006, he was inaugurated as Japanese prime minister.
- At 52, he was the youngest prime minister ever elected.
- On 26 September 2007 Abe officially ended his term, and Yasuo Fukuda became the new prime minister of Japan.
- Abe later revealed that the illness that contributed to ending his first term as prime minister was ulcerative colitis, but that he recovered due to access to a drug, Asacol, that was previously unavailable in Japan.
- Then, he returned to office in 2012.
- He remained in the National Diet following his resignation as prime minister.
- After that, he was re-elected as president of the party on 26 September 2012 following the resignation of LDP president Sadakazu Tanigaki.
- On 26 December 2012, Abe was formally elected as prime minister by the Diet, with the support of 328 out of 480 members of the House of Representatives.
- In September 2013 Abe called for a “society in which all women can shine”, setting a target that 30 percent of leadership positions should be held by women by 2020.
- In January 2014, he became the first Japanese leader to attend India’s Republic Day Parade in Delhi as chief guest, during a three-day visit where he and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh agreed to increase co-operation over economic, defense, and security issues and signed trade agreements related to energy, tourism, and telecoms.
- A close relationship was anticipated between Abe and Narendra Modi after the latter’s election as Prime Minister of India in May 2014, when it was noted that they had established ties at least seven years previously when Modi was still Chief Minister of Gujarat and that Modi was one of three people Abe “followed” on Twitter.
- In November 2014, he met Chinese President Xi Jinping at the APEC meeting in Beijing for the first time since either had taken office, after a photocall that was described as “awkward” by the press.
- On 24 December 2014, he was re-elected to the position of Prime Minister by the House of Representatives.
- After Donald Trump‘s inauguration in the USA, they had a formal meeting at Mar-a-Lago at which they discussed security in light of a North Korean threat, with Abe stating that Japan would be more committed to Japan-United States relations.
- In September 2015 Abe was re-elected as president of the LDP in an uncontested election after LDP Diet member Seiko Noda failed to garner enough support to stand as a candidate.
- The 2017 general election was held on 22 October. On 20th September 2018, he was re-elected as leader of the main ruling Liberal Democratic Party.
- He became Japan’s longest-serving prime minister, surpassing the 2,883-day record of Katsura Tarō on 19th November 2019.
- He became the longest-serving prime minister in terms of consecutive days in office, surpassing Eisaku Satō’s 2,798-day record on 24th August 2020.
- In 2018, Abe paid a 2-day formal visit to China, in the hopes of improving foreign relations, where he had several meetings with President Xi Jinping.
- His ulcerative colitis relapsed in June 2020 and resulted in his health deteriorating through the summer.
- He announced on 28 August 2020 that he intended to retire as prime minister, citing his inability to carry out the duties of the office while seeking treatment for his condition.
- During the press conference announcing his retirement, Abe indicated that he would remain in office until a successor was chosen by the LDP, but declined to endorse any specific successor.
- Later, Yoshihide Suga was elected as his successor by the LDP on 14 September 2020 and took office as prime minister on 16 September.
Awards and Achievements
- 2013 Foreign Policy Top 100 Global Thinkers, 2013. (United States)
- Herman Kahn Award, September 2013. (United States)
- The Straits Times Asian of the Year award, December 2013. (Singapore)
- Time 100 in 2014, April 2014. (United States)
- Time 100 in 2018, 2018. (United States)
- Boston Global Forum’s World Leader in Cybersecurity Award, December 2015. (United States)
- 2021 World Statesman Award, March 2021. (United States)
- Keizaikai Award in 2021, January 2021. (Japan)
- Netaji Award 2022 by Netaji Research Bureau, January 2022. (India)
- Rangsit University, March 2013. (Thailand)
- Jawaharlal Nehru University, December 2015. (India)
- Turkmen State University, October 2015. (Turkmenistan)
- International Islamic University Malaysia, March 2022. (Malaysia)
- Member Special Class of the Order of Abdulaziz Al Saud, April 2007. (Saudi Arabia)
- Grand Cross of the Order of Honour. (Greece)
- Member First Class of the Order of Sheikh Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa, August 2013. (Bahrain)
- Grand Cross of the Order of Ivory Merit, January 2014. (Ivory Coast)
- Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Orange-Nassau, October 2014. (Netherlands)
- Grand Collar of the Order of Sikatuna, Rank of Raja 3 June 2015. (Philippines)
- Grand Cross of the Order of the Liberator General San Martín, 2016. (Argentina)
- Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Isabella the Catholic, 2017. (Spain)
- Grand Cross of the Order of the Oak Crown, 2017. (Luxembourg)
- Gold Olympic Order, 2020. (IOC)
- Chief Commander of the Legion of Merit, 2020. (United States)
- Grand Cross of the Order of the Southern Cross, 2020. (Brazil)
- Padma Vibhushan, January 2021. (India)
- Order of the Republic of Serbia, 2022. (Serbia)
Who was Shinzo Abe married to?
Shinzo Abe was a married man. He tied the knot with his beautiful wife, Akie Matsuzaki in 1987. His spouse, Akie is a socialite and former radio disc jockey. She is the daughter of the president of Morinaga, a chocolate manufacturer. She is popularly known as the “domestic opposition party” due to her outspoken views, which often contradicted her husband’s. Following her husband’s first stint as prime minister, she opened an organic izakaya in the Kanda district of Tokyo but remained inactive in management due to the urging of her mother-in-law. The couple did not have any children from their marriage, having undergone unsuccessful fertility treatments early in their marriage.
Source: @shethepeople
How Rich was Shinzo Abe?
Shinzo Abe was the longest-serving former Prime Minister of Japan. His net worth was estimated to have $10 Million as of 2022. He made this fortune from his political career. His source of income came from his salaries as a public servant. He is considered to have an average monthly salary of over $70,000 with an annual income of over $1 million.
How tall was Shinzo Abe?
Shinzo Abe was a handsome and cool-looking man with an average body weight. He stood at the height of 173 cm or 5 feet 8 inches with weight measured at 75 Kg. His eye color was black and his hair color was also black. His other body size is still to get unfolded yet.
Leave a Reply