Shinzo Abe

Shinzo Abe was born on September 21, 1954, into a prominent political family in Japan. His paternal grandfather, Kan Abe, served in the House of Representatives, and his father, Shintaro Abe, also held a seat in the House. His maternal grandfather, Nobusuke Kishi, co-founded the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and served as Prime Minister of Japan. Abe began his political career, serving as Chief Cabinet Secretary from 2005 to 2006 under Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi. He became Japan's youngest post-war prime minister and the first to be born after World War II, serving his first term from 2006 to 2007. He briefly led the opposition in 2012 and resigned from both premierships due to medical complications from ulcerative colitis. In 1987, he married Akie Matsuzaki.Abe returned to the prime ministership in 2012, serving until 2020, which made him the longest-serving prime minister in Japanese history. His administration was internationally recognized for its economic policies, dubbed "Abenomics," which involved monetary easing, fiscal stimulus, and structural reforms. Politically, Abe was a conservative figure, often described as a right-wing Japanese nationalist. He was a member of Nippon Kaigi and held views on Japanese history, including denying government coercion in the recruitment of comfort women, which created diplomatic tension with South Korea. He advocated for revising Article 9 of the pacifist Japanese constitution to permit Japan to maintain military forces. Shinzo Abe was assassinated on July 8, 2022, while delivering a campaign speech in Nara, succumbing to his wounds later that day. He was the sixth former Japanese prime minister to be assassinated.