Former Japanese Prime Minister Abe's mother, Mrs. Yoko, the 'godmother' of Japanese politics, passes away at 95 years old

Father Kishi Nobusuke and uncle Sato Eisaku
Son Abe Shinzo... Exercising influence as the matriarch of Japanese politics

Yoko Abe (Abe Yoko), the mother of the late former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (Abe Shinzo), passed away on the 4th at a hospital in Tokyo, local media including Asahi Shimbun and Sankei Shimbun reported on the 5th. She was 95 years old.

Yoko Abe, mother of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, passed away on the 4th at a hospital in Tokyo. She was 95 years old. Photo by X (formerly Twitter)

She was born in Tokyo in 1928 and graduated from Shirayuri High School for Girls (now Shirayuri Gakuen Junior and Senior High School) in 1945, then began her career at a bank. In 1951, she married Shin Taro Abe (Abe Shintaro), a political reporter for Mainichi Shimbun and former Foreign Minister, and they had three sons.

The two are known to have been connected through Yoko’s father, former Prime Minister Kishi, who was from Yamaguchi Prefecture like the Abe family and had a good reputation in the region, choosing Shintaro from the Abe family as a suitable son-in-law.

The eldest son is Hiroyuki Abe, former president of Mitsubishi Shoji Packaging; the second son is former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe; and the third son is Nobuo Kishi, former Defense Minister. Nobuo Kishi was sent as an adopted son to the maternal Kishi family during his childhood, hence the different surname. He stepped down from his committee position last year and passed his electoral district to his son.

Yoko Abe had extensive interactions with political figures, having raised two sons as politicians. During Shinzo Abe’s tenure as Prime Minister, she occasionally appeared at official schedules and engaged in external activities. After the death of her husband Shin Taro Abe, she supported Shinzo Abe’s political activities. She was active behind the scenes as the leader of the spouses of members belonging to the Seiwa Policy Research Council, the Abe faction. Jiji Press reported that she was called the "godmother of politics" for her long-standing support of the prestigious political family.

Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (center) is spending time with his family on June 14, 2022, to celebrate the 94th birthday of his mother, Yoko Abe (left). Abe's wife, Akie Abe (third from left), eldest brother Hironobu Abe (third from right), and youngest brother Nobuo Kishi (right), former Minister of Defense, also posed together.
[Photo by Former Prime Minister Abe's Facebook]

After receiving news of her son Shinzo Abe’s death in July 2022, Yoko Abe reportedly stayed secluded at her Tokyo residence due to mental shock.

On June 14 of the same year, about a month before Shinzo Abe’s death, she held her 94th birthday party at her Tokyo home with her sons. At that time, Shinzo Abe took photos and posted them on Facebook. This photo became the last scene captured of the four family members together.

In response to the news of her passing, Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen expressed condolences in Japanese, saying, "She worked hard for Taiwan and Japan." She had a connection with Yoko Abe from attending a concert together when the NHK Symphony Orchestra performed in Taipei, Taiwan in 2016.

President-elect Lai Ching-te also posted a photo taken with Yoko Abe on social media and expressed condolences in Japanese, saying, "Rest in peace."

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