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Shinzo Abe
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Shinzo Abe

Shinzo Abe
Shinzo Abe
Shinzo Abe was the prime minister of Japan from 2006 to 2007 and from 2012 to 2020. He was the longest-serving prime minister in Japanese history and was a member of the Liberal Democratic Party. He was fatally shot by a gunman while delivering a speech on behalf of another politician in the city of Nara on July 8, 2022. The gunman was identified as a 41-year-old local man who was a veteran of the Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force and said he was frustrated with Abe.
Born
21 Sep 1954
Industry
Politics
Job Title
Former Prime Minister of Japan
Yasuo Fukuda, pictured in 2015, served as Japan’s prime minister from September 2007 to September 2008. Photo: Reuters
Then Japanese prime minister Yasuo Fukuda smiles during a group interview with news agencies in Tokyo in July 2008. Photo: Reuters
China-Japan relations

Death of former PM Yasuo Fukuda leaves void in fraught China-Japan relations

Beijing praises Fukuda as a leader whose words ‘carried great weight’ and suggests Tokyo’s current government ‘do serious soul-searching’.

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Japan

Japanese ex-prime minister Yasuo Fukuda, who sought China ties, dies at 90

Japan

Japan’s dilemma over frosty ties with Russia deepens after reporter’s arrest

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Japan

Japan’s Takaichi sends offering to controversial Yasukuni war shrine

Takaichi, who routinely visited the Shinto shrine before becoming prime minister, has refrained from doing so since taking over the helm.

The “masakaki” ritual offering sent by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is displayed on Saturday. Photo: Kyodo
Japan

Japan’s protest over Russian soldier statue aggravates ‘summer of tension’

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is under pressure from conservatives to take firm action, including helping Ukraine in its war against Russia.

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11
South Korea

South Korea’s Unification Church leader Han Hak-ja jailed 2 years for bribing officials

Han is accused of giving luxury items to former first lady Kim Keon-hee and providing illegal funds to a prominent lawmaker.

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Japan

Takaichi avoids clear commitment on Japan’s non-nuclear pledge

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi avoids explicit pledge on non-nuclear principles at Hiroshima atomic bomb memorial.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi looks on during a memorial at the Peace Memorial Ceremony, on the 81st anniversary of the dropping of the atomic bomb, at the Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima. Photo: JIJI Press / AFP
Visitors pray for the victims at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, marking the anniversary of the US atomic bombing, in Hiroshima. Photo: Kyodo News via AP
People offer prayers for the victims ahead of the Peace Memorial Ceremony on the 81st anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima at Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima. Photo: EPA/JIJI Press
Attendees observe a moment of silence during the Peace Memorial Ceremony for the 81st anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima at Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima. Photo: EPA/JIJI Press
Japan

Japan voters ‘pretty angry’ with PM Takaichi as support frays

Recent opinion polls show Takaichi’s approval rating slipping, reflecting the public’s disdain for her priorities, analysts say.

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Japan

Why Japan’s Takaichi is eyeing an ‘easy win’ in India as domestic support drops

The prime minister is looking to make India an ‘important part’ of Japan’s security transition while boosting economic ties, analysts say.

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Japan

‘Bad signal’: Japan’s Russia outreach puts Takaichi at odds with G7 allies

Energy needs have driven Tokyo to explore cooperation with Moscow again, which could make Europe ‘uncomfortable’.

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Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi listens to a question in the House of Councillors budget committee session at the National Diet in Tokyo on June 5. Photo: AFP
Japan

As I see it | Forget Weimar, it’s Japan’s Taisho period we need to talk about

As analysts warn about the far-right’s gains in Germany, we must also reckon with the historical events that prompted Japanese militarism.

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Protesters hold lights and a placard shaped like the number nine, referring to Article 9 of Japan’s constitution, which renounces war as a sovereign right and prohibits the maintenance of armed forces, during a rally against militarism, in Tokyo, Japan, on May 29. Photo: Reuters
Diplomacy

Opinion | As the Quad loses its anchor, China has a chance to act

As the relevance of anti-China groupings such as the Quad and Aukus fades, Beijing and its neighbours have more room for dialogue.

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Japan

Japan prepares to drop its pacifist mask as the right rises

A right-wing parliamentary supermajority is paving the way for Tokyo to amend its post-war pacifist constitution.

Japan

Japan’s PM Takaichi eyes India trip for talks with leader Modi

The leaders plan to discuss strengthening supply chains of critical goods given concerns about China.

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Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi at a budget committee session at the National Diet in Tokyo on Thursday. Her trip to India later this year would be part of the two nations’ practice of reciprocal visits by their leaders. Photo: AFP
Japan

Is self-censorship behind Japan’s ‘problematic’ press freedom ranking?

Media insiders say Japan’s press is rarely overtly repressed, but access pressures and newsroom caution still shape what gets reported.

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A Japanese newspaper staff distributes copies of the extra issue on Sanae Takaichi being elected Japan’s first female prime minister, in Tokyo, on October 21, 2025. Photo: AP
Japan

Dozens injured in Japan after man sprays mystery liquid in Tokyo shopping centre

An elderly woman said her throat started ‘stinging and hurting’ as she approached the ATM where the liquid had been sprayed.

Japan

Japan’s ‘cutest’ envoy shows Britons how to love Britain

‘He has made me feel more proud to be British than any politician or any figure since I was born,’ a content creator says.

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Japan

Opinion | The domestic dynamics driving Japan’s remilitarisation

Sanctions, diplomatic warnings and aggressive rhetoric create a perilous loop, reinforcing the very domestic tendencies China seeks to deter.

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Illustration: Craig Stephens
Japan

Asian Angle | Why Japan-China ties can benefit from promoting people-to-people exchanges

Filling the information gap through direct contact between the two peoples can help improve both countries’ public images and ease tensions.

Japan

Takaichi to hold talks in Vietnam on economic security, critical minerals

Both sides are expected to discuss cooperation in areas such as energy and artificial intelligence.

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Japan

Japan’s PM Takaichi tells fellow politician she needs ‘more sleep’

The remark came as Takaichi’s leadership recently hit the six-month mark.

Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi during a plenary session of the House of Representatives in Tokyo on Thursday. After winning her ruling party’s leadership election in October, she vowed to “work, work, work, work and work”. Photo: AFP
Japan

Japan’s Takaichi sends Yasukuni shrine offering, South Korea expresses ‘regret’

Seoul urges Japan’s leaders to ‘face history squarely’ and show through action ‘a sincere remorse for its past’.

Japanese nationalists visit Tokyo’s Yasukuni shrine during the 79th anniversary of Japan’s surrender in World War II in 2024. Photo: dpa
China-Japan relations

Is Takaichi putting Japan’s pacifist constitution on the chopping block?

Goal of changing the post-war system has never been closer, but upper house could still be a stumbling block, analysts argue.

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Japan

‘Not a reliable ally’: Japan eyes Nato as Trump erodes faith in US guarantees

Tokyo and the transatlantic security alliance have a shared problem: what happens if the US walks away?

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The Philippines

Ahead of first Philippine visit since WWII, Japan’s past catches up with troops

Critics oppose the return of Japanese troops over Tokyo’s lack of a formal apology for the wartime abuse of Filipino ‘comfort women’.

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Philippine and Japanese aircraft patrol during a joint military exercise in February. Photo: Armed Forces of the Philippines-Public Affairs Office / AFP
Japan

Trump’s ‘wind-up doll’? Japan’s PM faces backlash over White House fawning

White House imagery showing Sanae Takaichi cheering for a rock song and laughing at a jibe at Joe Biden left some in Japan feeling ‘ashamed’.

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A photograph published by the White House shows Takaichi arriving at an official dinner with her fists raised, handbag over one arm, apparently shouting with delight. Photo: White House
China-Japan relations

Trump’s biggest cheerleader? Why Japan’s Takaichi is making waves in China

White House photo of Japanese prime minister apparently dancing to a band draws derision on Chinese social media.

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United States

Trump compares Iran attack to Pearl Harbour in otherwise positive Takaichi talks

Two leaders tout bilateral relationship and pledge to work cooperatively on trade.

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