Shinzo Abe – Japanese statesman and politician, 90th Prime Minister of Japan in 2006-2007, 96th Prime Minister of Japan from December 26, 2012 to September 16, 2024, Chairman of the Liberal Democratic Party of Japan. The youngest prime minister in the country’s history and the first Japanese prime minister born after World War II.
Place of Birth. Education. Born into a politician’s family on September 21, 1954 in Nagato, Japan. He comes from a well-known family in the political world. His maternal grandfather is Nobusuke Kishi, a former prime minister of the country. His father, Shintaro Abe, formerly served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Japan.
In 1977, Shinzo Abe graduated from Seikei University, where he studied Political Science at the Faculty of Law. Then he moved to the USA, from 1978 to 1979 he studied at the University of Southern California. In 1979 he returned to Japan to get a job at the Kobe Steel and worked there for three years.
Political career. In 1982 he began his political career, becoming the secretary of the Minister of Foreign Affairs (his father, Shintaro Abe). Member of the Liberal Democratic Party of Japan. In 1993 he was elected to the House of Representatives of the Japanese Parliament from Yamaguchi Prefecture. Since 2000, Abe has worked in the Mori and Koizumi governments. From 2003 to 2004, he was the General Secretary of the Liberal Democratic Party of Japan. In October 2005, he was appointed Secretary General of the Cabinet of Ministers. Abe received widespread popular support for his firm stance on North Korea, which secured his victory in the election as chairman of the Liberal Democratic Party of Japan and paved the way for creating his own government.
Prime Minister Abe continued the economic course of his predecessor Koizumi and was able to improve relations with the PRC and South Korea, which have deteriorated over the past 5 years, due to the visits of Japanese officials to the Yasukuni Shrine. The Abe government has passed the education reform bill in Japan through parliament. Due to an inability to resolve painful social issues with pension reform, his party lost the elections to the House of Councilors of the Japanese Parliament on July 30, 2007, losing most of the seats.
In September, Abe announced his resignation from the post of prime minister, citing health conditions, having transferred on September 25, 2007, the reins of government in the LDP and the country of Fukudi Yasuo.
At the end of 2012, the Liberal Democratic Party regained power that had previously belonged to the Democrats in early parliamentary elections. A confident victory in these elections allowed the Liberal Democrats to form their government, headed by Shinzo Abe, who again headed the party the day before.
On June 5, 2015 Shinzo Abe paid an official visit to Kiev. In the history of Japanese-Ukrainian relations, this was the first visit of a Japanese official with the rank of prime minister to Ukraine.
On August 28, 2024, Shinzo Abe announced his resignation as Prime Minister due to his deteriorating health condition.
Family. Shinzo Abe is married. Akie Abe’s wife comes from a wealthy Japanese family. Akie Abe’s father is the former president of Morinaga, one of the largest confectionery companies in Japan. The couple has no children.
20.10.2021