From Japan's Longest-Serving Prime Minister to 'Tragic Hero': Who Is Abe? (Comprehensive)

Japan's Leading Right-Wing Politician
Maintains a Hardline Stance on Diplomacy and Security
Actively Promotes Economic Policy Known as 'Abenomics'

Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe [Photo by AP]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the longest-serving prime minister in Japan's constitutional history, was shot during an election campaign rally on the 8th and died at the age of 67. As the first Japanese prime minister born after World War II and the grandson of former Prime Minister Nobusuke Kishi, an A-class war criminal, he was a leading right-wing politician in Japan who led relations with South Korea to their worst state.

◆ Served as Japanese Prime Minister for a total of 8 years and 9 months... Acted as 'Retired Emperor' even after resignation

Born in 1954, former Prime Minister Abe was the grandson of former Prime Minister Kishi, who served as Minister of Commerce and Industry in the cabinet of Hideki Tojo, who initiated the Pacific War. His father, Abe Shintaro, served as Foreign Minister in the cabinet of Yasuhiro Nakasone, and his younger brother, Nobuo Kishi, is currently the Minister of Defense. Abe entered politics in 1982 as his father's secretary and was elected to the House of Representatives in 1993 after inheriting his electoral district.

Abe entered the Koizumi cabinet in 2001 as Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary and accompanied then-Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi on his visit to North Korea, actively utilizing the abduction issue to become a nationwide star politician. Abe's involvement in the abduction issue later influenced his succession as Koizumi's heir. He became the Secretary-General of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in 2003 and LDP President in 2006.

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

Abe was Japan's longest-serving prime minister, holding office for a total of 8 years and 9 months over two terms, totaling 3,188 days in office. He first took office in 2006 at age 52 as the youngest postwar prime minister but resigned early after one year. Five years later, in December 2012, Abe succeeded in returning to power and served continuously for 7 years and 9 months until resigning in September 2020 due to health reasons. After resigning, he remained a member of the House of Representatives.

He stepped down from the prime ministership citing ulcerative colitis but continued to act as the leader of the largest faction within the LDP, effectively serving as a 'Retired Emperor.' He played a decisive role in the rise of his successors, former Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and current Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. Notably, Abe was behind Kishida's victory in the LDP presidential election in September last year, where Kishida defeated Taro Kono, then Minister for Administrative Reform and a top voter favorite.

◆ Ultimately failed in his 'long-cherished goal' of constitutional revision... Abeconomics also yielded limited results

Abe maintained a hardline stance in diplomacy and security. During his tenure, he visited the Yasukuni Shrine, where Class-A war criminals are enshrined, drawing criticism from South Korea and China, and later replaced visits with offerings. He retaliated against South Korea's court rulings on forced labor during Japan's colonial rule by imposing semiconductor export restrictions in 2019, severely worsening relations. Japan's rightward shift in society deepened after his return to power.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

He focused on fostering a friendly relationship with the United States. Abe developed a close relationship with former U.S. President Donald Trump. Sharing a common interest in golf, the two played golf together five times during their terms, displaying a 'bromance.' When Trump visited Japan in 2019, Abe hosted unprecedented 'Omotenashi' (extreme hospitality), including playing golf and watching sumo matches together. However, reports emerged that Trump demanded Japan increase its contribution to the cost of U.S. forces stationed in Japan by four times, leading to criticism of Abe.

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

Abe made constitutional revision to explicitly recognize the Self-Defense Forces his lifelong mission but failed to achieve this due to worsening public opinion and the outbreak of COVID-19 in early 2020. After formally returning to the LDP's largest faction, the Hosoda faction, last November after about nine years, he immediately raised the constitutional revision issue as his first statement, emphasizing that constitutional revision has been a party principle since the LDP's founding and expressing his intention to lead the discussion.

To overcome the long-term economic stagnation known as the 'Lost 20 Years,' Abe aggressively promoted economic policies known as 'Abenomics.' Starting in 2013, he implemented economic policies aimed at revitalizing the economy based on the 'three arrows' of aggressive fiscal expansion, unlimited monetary easing, and corporate innovation. He raised the consumption tax rate once from 5% to 8% in 2014 and again to 10% in 2019.

However, his goal of escaping deflation was not significantly achieved, and global factors such as the COVID-19 pandemic further hindered progress. Subsequently, criticism arose within Japan that 'Abenomics was a deception,' and that it failed to present innovative measures to pioneer the future. The lack of a successful strategy is considered the biggest reason for its failure.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.