Who is Shinzo Abe? All about former Prime Minister of Japan

The State Funeral of Shinzo Abe, the former Prime Minister of Japan was held on September 27, 2022 in Tokyo. He was the longest-serving Prime Minister of Japan and was also the leader of the opposition briefly in 2012. Read about Shinzo Abe's net worth, age, political career, health, wife, and other details. 

Sep 27, 2022, 14:02 IST
Shinzo Abe Biography
Shinzo Abe Biography

Shinzo Abe 2022: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on September 27, 2022, paid tribute to the former Prime Minister of Japan Shinzo Abe at the State Funeral which was held in Tokyo, Japan. Prime Minister Modi conveyed his condolences on the tragic demise of Shinzo Abe. 

Shinzo Abe passed away on July 8, 2022, after he was shot in the chest while delivering a speech. Shinzo Abe was a Japanese politician who served as the Prime Minister of Japan and the President of the Liberal Democratic Party from the year 2006 to 2007 and then again from 2012 to 2020. Shinzo Abe was also the longest-serving Prime Minister of Japan who was also the leader of the opposition briefly in 2012.

Shinzo Abe was a conservative who has been widely described as a right-wing Japanese nationalist. Abe’s tenure as the Prime Minister of Japan was known internationally for his government’s economic policies, which further pursued fiscal stimulus, monetary easing, and structural reforms in the country. Shinzo Abe announced his resignation in August 2020 because of a significant resurgence of his ulcerative colitis. He was succeeded by Yoshihide Suga as the Prime Minister of Japan.

Shinzo Abe Biography

Born

21 September 1954

Death

8 July 2022

Birth Place

Tokyo, Japan

Political Party

Liberal Democratic

Position

Former Prime Minister of Japan (2006 to 2007), (2012 to 2020)

Succeeded by

Yoshihide Suga

Parents

Shintaro Abe (Father)

Yoko Abe (Mother)

Spouse

Akie Abe (m. 1987)

Education

USC Sol Price School of Public Policy

Awards

Padma Vibhushan (India’s 2nd highest Civilian Award)

Who is Shinzo Abe?

Shinzo Abe was a Japanese politician who served as the longest-serving Prime Minister of Japan and the President of the Liberal Democratic Party of Japan from 2006 to 2007 and again from 2012 to 2020. Shinzo Abe is known to be the longest-serving Prime Minister in Japanese history. From 2005 to 2006, he also served as the Chief Cabinet Secretary from 2005 to 2006 under Junichiro Koizumi and was also briefly the leader of the opposition.

Shinzo Abe was shot in the chest on July 8, 2022, while he was delivering a stump speech at an event ahead of the Upper House Elections on July 10, 2022. The 67-years old Shinzo Abe collapsed. 

Reportedly, after he was taken to the hospital, Abe was showing no vital signs. The former Prime Minister of Japan was shot at around 11.30 am in Nara and a man in his 40s, who is believed to be the shooter, was taken into custody.

Shinzo Abe: Personal Life

Shinzo Abe was born in Tokyo, Japan to a prominent political family with significant economic influence throughout the pre-second world war, wartime, and post-war Japan. Shinzo Abe’s family is originally from Yamaguchi Prefecture and his registered residence is Nagato, Yamaguchi.

Shinzo Abe's elder brother became the President and the CEO of Mitsubishi Packaging Corporation, while his younger brother, Nobuo Kishi became the senior Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs. 

In response to China's pineapple ban on March 1, 2021, Japan imported a record of 6,000 tons of Taiwanese pineapples. On April 28, 2022, Shinzo Abe tweeted a photo of himself with five pineapples and within five hours, the photo went viral with 6,94,000 likes. 

Shinzo Abe Education

Shinzo Abe attended Seikei Elementary School and Seikei Junior and Senior High School. He further studied public administration and graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Seikei University in 1977.

Shinzo Abe later moved to the United States and studied public policy at the University of Southern California’s School of Policy, Planning, and Development for three semesters. He started working for Kobe Steel in April 1979 and later left the company in 1982.

Shinzo Abe pursued a number of government positions including the executive assistant to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Private Secretary to the LDP (Liberal Democratic Party) Secretary-General and Private Secretary to the Chairperson of the LDP General Council.

Shinzo Abe Political Career

Year

Political Journey

1993

Elected to Japan’s House of Representatives

1999

Became the Director of the Committee on Health and Welfare and also Director of the Liberal Democratic Party’s (LDP) Social Affairs Division

2000-2003

Shinzo Abe served as the Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP)

2005-2006

Chief Secretary of the LDP (Continued)

2006

Shinzo Abe became the Prime Minister of Japan for the first time

2007

Announced his resignation on September 12

2012

Shinzo Abe won a run-off leadership elections for the leadership of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). Abe was elected the Prime Minister of Japan on December 26 in the same year.

2017

Shinzo Abe saw a resounding victory in a snap election on 22 October

2020

Shinzo Abe resigned as the Prime Minister of Japan on August 28.

Shinzo Abe Wife

Shinzo Abe married Akie Matsuzaki in 1987. She is a socialite and the former radio disc jockey. Matsuzaki is the daughter of the President of Morinaga, a chocolate manufacturer. Akie Abe is popularly known as the ‘domestic opposition party’ because of her outspoken views, which often contradict her husband’s.

Following Shinzo Abe's first stint as the Prime Minister of Japan, his wife Akie Matsuzaki opened an organic Izakaya in the Kanda district of Tokyo. In addition to the native language Japanese, Shinzo Abe also spoke English. 

Shinzo Abe Net Worth

The net worth of Shinzo Abe, the former Prime Minister of Japan, is estimated to be $10 million in the year 2022. His monthly salary is estimated to be $70,000 with an annual income of more than $1 million.

Shinzo Abe health

Shinzo Abe resigned as the Prime Minister of Japan just after one year in office because of medical complications from Ulcerative colitis. After recovering from his illness and serving as the Prime Minister, Abe announced his second resignation in August 2020, as the Prime Minister citing a significant resurgence of his ulcerative colitis.

Shinzo Abe Assasination

On July 8, 2022, the former Prime Minister of Japan was shot while delivering a campaign speech in Nara and died of his wounds later on the same day after reportedly suffering a cardiopulmonary arrest. He was 67 years old. The alleged shooter was arrested by the Police on the same day. His name is Yamagami Tetsuya and he was arrested for attempted murder before Shinzo Abe's death was announced. 

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Shailaja Tripathi is an educational content writer with 2 years of experience. She is a Masters in Political Science from Delhi University and also holds a Bachelors in Education. At jagranjosh.com, she creates content for school students and college audiences. You can reach her at shailaja.tripathi@jagrannewmedia.com
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