Shinzo Abe, the Japan's youngest PM since World War II

CAIRO – 23 October 2017: Shinzo Abe, the incumbent prime minister of Japan and the president of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), is the third-longest serving prime minister in post-war Japan.

Hailing from a politically prominent family, at age 52, Abe became Japan's youngest post-war prime minister, and the first to be born after World War II, when he was elected by a special session of the National Diet in September 2006.

Under his leadership, a group of measures has been introduced aiming to boost Japan's struggling economy. However, ties with China have been tense over territorial and historic disputes, according to a BBC report. Abe resigned on September 12, 2007 for health reasons. He was replaced by Yasuo Fukuda, beginning a string of five prime ministers, none of whom retained office for more than sixteen months, before Abe staged a political comeback.

Abe managed to defeat former Minister of Defense Shigeru Ishiba for the LDP presidency on September 26, 2012. Following the LDP's landslide victory in the 2012 general election, he became the first former prime minister to return to the office since Shigeru Yoshida in 1948. He was re-elected for the third time in the 2014 general election, retaining his two-thirds majority with coalition partner Komeito.

Early life & political appeal

Abe is seen as outspoken and has a popular appeal to voters. He was born in Tokyo to a politically prominent family. His family is originally from Yamaguchi Prefecture, and Abe's registered residence ("honseki chi") is Nagato, Yamaguchi, where his grandfather was born. His grandfather, Kan Abe, and father, Shintaro Abe, were both politicians. Abe's mother, Yoko Kishi, is the daughter of Nobusuke Kishi, prime minister of Japan from 1957 to 1960.

Abe won his first seat in parliament in 1993. Appointed to the cabinet for the first time in October 2005, he was given the high-profile role of chief cabinet secretary.

However, his administration faced a series of troubles, topped by the revelation that the government had lost pension records affecting dozens of million claims.

As a most likely consequence, a heavy loss for the LDP in the upper house elections in July 2007 provided a catalyst for his decision to resign, according to a BBC report.
However, Abe cited ill health as the reason for his departure. The Washington Post wrote, “At his lowest point, Shinzo Abe lost his health and his reputation. He’d gotten his chance to lead Japan and lasted just 366 days. His aides scattered. He was jeered in public. When he boarded a plane one day, a passenger in the same row asked to move…”

Powerful Comeback

Within seven years, he was again elected prime minister – and by a landslide. He was listed in Time magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2014 and was even pictured on the cover of The Economist as a political Superman, Real Truth Magazine reported.

The Washington Post article continued, “Just seven years later, not only is Abe back as prime minister, but he’s also more powerful than any of his recent predecessors, with an approval rating near 60 percent. His resurgence is every bit as improbable as his country’s.”

Domestic policy

Defense

Abe is best known for his muscular stance on Japan's defense, particularly in territorial rows.

In 2015, he pushed for Japan's right to collective self-defense, which is the ability to mobilize troops overseas to defend themselves and allies under attack.

This controversial change in law was approved by Japan's parliament, but it encountered significant opposition from the Japanese public, China and South Korea, the BBC reported.

Economy & Abenomics

Since regaining the prime ministerial office in 2012, he has employed a set of economic policies dubbed "Abenomics" and has pumped billions of dollars into Japan's economy to kick-start growth. Although the remedy isn't working quite as well as he'd like, "Teflon Abe" remains widely popular, according to the Forbes report.

Education

Abe supported the controversial Japanese Society for History Textbook Reform and the New History Textbook. In March 2007, Abe, with the help of right-wing politicians, have proposed a bill to encourage nationalism and a "love for one's country and hometown" among the Japanese youth (specific wording from the revised "Fundamental Law of Education").

Abe was also the bureau chief of "Institute of Junior Assembly Members Who Think about the Outlook of Japan and History Education".

Foreign policy

North Korea

Shinzo Abe has generally taken a hard-line stance with respect to North Korea, especially regarding the North Korean abductions of Japanese citizens. In the 2002 negotiations between Japan and North Korea, Japanese Prime Minister Koizumi and North Korean General Secretary Kim Jong-Il agreed to give abductees permission to visit Japan.

A few weeks into the visit, the Japanese government decided that the abductees would be restricted from returning to North Korea, where their families live.
Japan’s recent stance under Abe’s leadership toward North Korea has increasingly been tense, as North Korea is still developing its nuclear missile program, committing renewed violations of international law regarding state sovereignty.

In September 2017, North Korea fired a ballistic missile over the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido. The launch was the second to fly over Japan in less than a month, and the first since North Korea's sixth nuclear test and new United Nations sanctions on the country, CNN reported.

China

Abe has publicly recognized the need for improved relations with the People's Republic of China, and, along with Foreign Minister Taro Aso, he sought an eventual summit meeting with former Chinese paramount leader Hu Jintao. Abe has also said that China–Japan relations should not continue to be based on emotions.

Taiwan

Occasionally, Abe is respected among politicians in Taiwan who are part of the Pan-Green Coalition seeking Taiwanese independence. Chen Shui-bian welcomed Abe's ministerial office. Abe’s grandfather, Nobusuke Kishi, was pro-Taiwan, and his great uncle, Eisaku Sato, was the last prime minister to visit Taiwan while in office.

South Asia countries

Abe expressed the need to strengthen political, security and economic ties within the Southeast Asian region. Abe increased Japan’s allies in the international campaign to counter the North Korean nuclear aspirations.