Tokyo: Shinzo Abe record broken as JapanThe longest-serving prime minister, to forge major diplomatic ties while facing ambitious economic reforms and scandals.
He was forced to step down after nearly two years due to ill health, fearing the death of the 67-year-old after he was apparently shot during a campaign event on Friday.
When Abe became prime minister for the first time in 2006, he was 52 years old, the youngest person ever to hold the position.
He was seen as a symbol of change and youth, but he also brought the lineage of a third-generation politician drawn from birth by an aristocratic, conservative family.
Abe’s first term was turbulent, riddled with scandals and discord, and overshadowed by sudden resignations.
After initially suggesting that he was stepping down for political reasons, he admitted that he was suffering from a disease later identified as ulcerative colitis.
The debilitating bowel condition required months of treatment but, abe Said, eventually overcome with the help of new medicine.
He ran again, and the door of the revolving Prime Minister of Japan brought him back into office in 2012.
This ended a turbulent period in which the prime minister sometimes changed at the rate of a year.
With Japan still reeling from the effects of the 2011 tsunami and the subsequent nuclear disaster at Fukushima—and a brief opposition government torn apart for flip-flopping and incompetence—Abe offered a safe pair of hands.
And he had a plan: Abenomics.
Plans to revive Japan’s economy – the world’s third largest, but in stagnation for more than two decades – included heavy government spending, massive monetary easing and cuts in red tape.
Abe also sought to boost the nation’s flagged birth rate by making workplaces more conducive to parents, especially mothers.
He pushed through controversial consumption tax hikes to help finance nurseries and plug gaps in Japan’s overstretched social security system.
While some progress was made with the reforms, major structural problems of the economy remained.
Deflation proved stubborn and the economy was in recession in 2020 even before the arrival of the coronavirus.
Abe’s star plummeted further during the pandemic, his approach criticized for being confused and slow, leaving his approval ratings some of the lowest in his tenure.
On the international stage, Abe took a tough stand on North Korea, but sought the role of a peacemaker between the United States and Iran.
He preferred a close personal relationship with Donald Trump The then US President’s “America First” mantra sought to protect Japan’s dominant coalition, and improve relations with Russia and China.
But the results were mixed: Trump has been eager to force Japan to pay more for American troops stationed in the country, a deal with Russia on the disputed northern islands remained elusive, and plans to invite Xi Jinping Fell on the way for a state visit.
Abe took a tough stand with South Korea over unresolved wartime disputes and continued to make plans to revise Japan’s pacifist constitution.
Throughout his tenure, he weathered political storms, including accusations of cronyism, which dented approval ratings but, due to the weakness of the opposition, did little to sway his power.
Abe was due to stay until the end of 2021, giving him one last event in his historic tenure – the postponed Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
But in a shocking announcement, he stepped down in August 2020, ending his second term with a recurrence of ulcerative colitis.
He was forced to step down after nearly two years due to ill health, fearing the death of the 67-year-old after he was apparently shot during a campaign event on Friday.
When Abe became prime minister for the first time in 2006, he was 52 years old, the youngest person ever to hold the position.
He was seen as a symbol of change and youth, but he also brought the lineage of a third-generation politician drawn from birth by an aristocratic, conservative family.
Abe’s first term was turbulent, riddled with scandals and discord, and overshadowed by sudden resignations.
After initially suggesting that he was stepping down for political reasons, he admitted that he was suffering from a disease later identified as ulcerative colitis.
The debilitating bowel condition required months of treatment but, abe Said, eventually overcome with the help of new medicine.
He ran again, and the door of the revolving Prime Minister of Japan brought him back into office in 2012.
This ended a turbulent period in which the prime minister sometimes changed at the rate of a year.
With Japan still reeling from the effects of the 2011 tsunami and the subsequent nuclear disaster at Fukushima—and a brief opposition government torn apart for flip-flopping and incompetence—Abe offered a safe pair of hands.
And he had a plan: Abenomics.
Plans to revive Japan’s economy – the world’s third largest, but in stagnation for more than two decades – included heavy government spending, massive monetary easing and cuts in red tape.
Abe also sought to boost the nation’s flagged birth rate by making workplaces more conducive to parents, especially mothers.
He pushed through controversial consumption tax hikes to help finance nurseries and plug gaps in Japan’s overstretched social security system.
While some progress was made with the reforms, major structural problems of the economy remained.
Deflation proved stubborn and the economy was in recession in 2020 even before the arrival of the coronavirus.
Abe’s star plummeted further during the pandemic, his approach criticized for being confused and slow, leaving his approval ratings some of the lowest in his tenure.
On the international stage, Abe took a tough stand on North Korea, but sought the role of a peacemaker between the United States and Iran.
He preferred a close personal relationship with Donald Trump The then US President’s “America First” mantra sought to protect Japan’s dominant coalition, and improve relations with Russia and China.
But the results were mixed: Trump has been eager to force Japan to pay more for American troops stationed in the country, a deal with Russia on the disputed northern islands remained elusive, and plans to invite Xi Jinping Fell on the way for a state visit.
Abe took a tough stand with South Korea over unresolved wartime disputes and continued to make plans to revise Japan’s pacifist constitution.
Throughout his tenure, he weathered political storms, including accusations of cronyism, which dented approval ratings but, due to the weakness of the opposition, did little to sway his power.
Abe was due to stay until the end of 2021, giving him one last event in his historic tenure – the postponed Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
But in a shocking announcement, he stepped down in August 2020, ending his second term with a recurrence of ulcerative colitis.