Shinzo Abe facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Shinzo Abe
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安倍 晋三
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Official portrait, 2020
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| Prime Minister of Japan | |
| In office 26 December 2012 – 16 September 2020 |
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| Monarch | |
| Deputy | Tarō Asō |
| Preceded by | Yoshihiko Noda |
| Succeeded by | Yoshihide Suga |
| In office 26 September 2006 – 26 September 2007 |
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| Monarch | Akihito |
| Preceded by | Junichirō Koizumi |
| Succeeded by | Yasuo Fukuda |
| President of the Liberal Democratic Party | |
| In office 26 September 2012 – 14 September 2020 |
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| Deputy | Masahiko Kōmura |
| Secretary-General | Shigeru Ishiba Sadakazu Tanigaki Toshihiro Nikai |
| Preceded by | Sadakazu Tanigaki |
| Succeeded by | Yoshihide Suga |
| In office 20 September 2006 – 26 September 2007 |
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| Secretary-General | Tsutomu Takebe Hidenao Nakagawa Tarō Asō |
| Preceded by | Junichiro Koizumi |
| Succeeded by | Yasuo Fukuda |
| Leader of the Opposition | |
| In office 26 September 2012 – 26 December 2012 |
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| Monarch | Akihito |
| Prime Minister | Yoshihiko Noda |
| Preceded by | Sadakazu Tanigaki |
| Succeeded by | Banri Kaieda |
| Chief Cabinet Secretary | |
| In office 31 October 2005 – 26 September 2006 |
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| Prime Minister | Junichiro Koizumi |
| Preceded by | Hiroyuki Hosoda |
| Succeeded by | Yasuhisa Shiozaki |
| Member of the House of Representatives from Yamaguchi |
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| Assumed office 20 October 1996 |
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| Preceded by | Constituency established |
| Constituency | 4th district |
| Majority | 86,258 (58.40%) |
| In office 18 July 1993 – 20 October 1996 |
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| Preceded by | Constituency established |
| Succeeded by | Masahiko Kōmura |
| Constituency | 1st district |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
安倍晋三 (Abe Shinzō)
21 September 1954 Tokyo, Japan |
| Died | July 8, 2022 (aged 67) Nara, Japan |
| Political party | Liberal Democratic |
| Spouse |
Akie Abe
(m. 1987) |
| Parents |
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| Alma mater |
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Shinzo Abe (born September 21, 1954 – died July 8, 2022) was an important Japanese politician. He served as the Prime Minister of Japan twice. His first time was from 2006 to 2007. He then served again from 2012 to 2020. Abe was a member of the House of Representatives starting in 1996. He belonged to the Liberal Democratic Party.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Shinzo Abe was born on September 21, 1954, in Shinjuku, Tokyo. He came from a well-known political family. As a boy, he wanted to be a filmmaker. However, his family's history led him into politics. His father, Shintaro Abe, was also a member of the House of Representatives. His father held important roles like Chief Cabinet Secretary and Foreign Minister.
Abe went to Seikei Elementary School. He also attended Seikei Junior and Senior High School.
Political Journey
After finishing his studies at Seikei University, Abe briefly went to the University of Southern California. In 1993, he was elected to the Japanese House of Representatives. This was during the 1993 election.
In 2005, Prime Minister Koizumi made Abe the Chief Cabinet Secretary. The next year, Abe took over from Koizumi. He became both prime minister and the leader of his party. Abe was the youngest prime minister in Japan after World War II. He was also the first one born after World War II.
Leading Japan as Prime Minister
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During his time as prime minister, Abe wanted to continue the changes started by the previous leader. He worked to balance Japan's budget. He also tried to change or expand the meaning of Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution. This would allow Japan to have a more official military. Like leaders before him, he strongly supported Japan's friendship with the United States.
Abe resigned as prime minister after one year in 2007. This was because his party lost some elections. He then made a surprising return to politics. In 2012, he won against Shigeru Ishiba to become the leader of his party again.
After his party won the general election by a lot, Abe became prime minister again. He was the first former prime minister to return to office since 1948. He led his party to more wins in the 2014 and 2017 elections. This made him Japan's longest-serving prime minister. In 2020, Abe resigned again. He said it was due to a health issue. Yoshihide Suga took his place.
On May 27, 2016, Abe was with Barack Obama in Hiroshima. Obama was the first sitting US president to visit the city. This visit happened 71 years after the US atomic bombing there during World War II. Both leaders honored the victims at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum. They promised to work for nuclear disarmament. Obama said the visit would show the strong friendship between Japan and the United States.
Later Years
After leaving office, Abe was not as active in politics. However, he still gave interviews.
His Passing
On July 8, 2022, around 11:30 AM, Abe was shot. This happened while he was giving a speech in Nara. He was supporting another politician for an election.
A person came up behind Abe and fired two shots. The first shot missed. Abe turned around, and the second shot hit him. He was seriously injured.
Abe was quickly taken to the hospital by helicopter. When he arrived, he had no vital signs. Doctors tried to save him, but he had lost too much blood. He was pronounced dead at 5:03 PM. He was 67 years old.
A 41-year-old man named Tetsuya Yamagami was arrested right away. He used a homemade gun. Yamagami later told police he was angry at a religious group. He said he shot Abe because he believed Abe was connected to this group. Yamagami claimed his mother had given all their family's money to the group. This left his family very poor.
Yamagami said he had tried to harm the leader of the religious group before. But he couldn't get close to her. So, he decided to target Abe instead. He said he did not dislike Abe's political ideas. He killed Abe because he thought the former prime minister helped spread the religious group in Japan.
Many world leaders shared their sadness and support after Abe's death. His body was returned to Tokyo the next day. His state funeral was held on September 27, 2022.
Personal Life
Abe married Akie Matsuzaki in 1987. She was a socialite and a former radio DJ. Her father was the president of a candy company. Shinzo and Akie Abe did not have children. Abe's older brother, Hironobu Abe, became a business leader. His younger brother, Nobuo Kishi, also became a politician.
Besides Japanese, Abe also spoke English.
Related Information
- Abenomask
- Abenomics
Images for kids
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The site of Abe's assassination on July 8, 2022, just hours after the shooting.
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The Abe family in 1956: his mother Yōko Abe, Shinzo Abe at the age of two (left), his father Shintarō Abe and his elder brother Hironobu.
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Shinzo Abe (right), as Chief Cabinet Secretary, meets with U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick in January 2006.
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Abe in 2006, during his first term as prime minister.
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Abe and other candidates campaigning during the LDP presidential election in 2012. His chief rival, Shigeru Ishiba, is standing immediately to his right.
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Emperor Akihito formally appoints Abe to office as Prime Minister, December 26, 2012.
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Prime Minister Shinzo Abe speaking at CSIS in Washington DC, in February 2013.
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Haruhiko Kuroda, whom Abe appointed as Governor of the Bank of Japan (BOJ) in spring 2013, has implemented the "first arrow" monetary policy.
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Abe's Minister of Finance Tarō Asō, who also serves as Deputy Prime Minister, in April 2017.
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Akira Amari, who served as Abe's economy minister from 2012 to 2016, oversaw the "third arrow" growth strategy and negotiations to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement.
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Prime Minister Abe with U.S. President Barack Obama in Tokyo in April 2014.
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Abe with Argentine President, Mauricio Macri, Buenos Aires, November 21, 2016.
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Abe Cabinet Approval Ratings since December 2012.
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Abe and U.S. President Barack Obama review troops during the former's visit to Washington, D.C., in April 2015.
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Shinzo Abe and Xi Jinping, April 2015.
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Abe and U.S. President Donald Trump in February 2017.
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Abe and Russian President Vladimir Putin in November 2016. Japan has not yet signed a peace treaty with Russia to end World War II because of a Kuril Islands dispute.
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Abe with U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis, February 2017.
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Abe speaking at the Hudson Institute in Washington, DC, in March 2016.
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Abe developed close ties with then-U.S. President Donald Trump.
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Abe and Chinese leader Xi Jinping in November 2017.
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Abe, as the Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary, with a group of students from Harvard University in March 2006. His future Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuhisa Shiozaki (himself a graduate of Harvard University) is standing to his left.
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Abe attends a traditional Japanese wrestling tournament match with U.S. president Donald Trump.
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Abe campaigning in June 2010.
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Shinzo Abe and wife Akie with the U.S. President George W. Bush and Laura Bush, April 26, 2007.
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Gurtnyyaz Nurlyyewic Hanmyradow and Shinzo Abe in Turkmenistan.
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See also
In Spanish: Shinzō Abe para niños
