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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

Shinzo Abe

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’.

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

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

‘Uncompromising’: Takaichi’s meeting with Trump seen as key to China-Japan ties

Neither Tokyo nor Beijing has enough incentive to compromise, observers say, signalling a new reality between Asian giants.

Trump wants Japanese warships in Hormuz. Can Takaichi ‘dodge the bullet’?

The Iran war complicates Trump-Takaichi talks, putting her in a bind between US demands and constitutional limits on military action.

Japanese court upholds order to dissolve Unification Church over donations

The order will take immediate effect, with the group losing its religious corporation tax status and liquidation procedures to begin.

How the Unification Church is facing fallout in Japan from Shinzo Abe’s murder

Critics have called the group a ‘money-making business’, with many people having lost huge sums of money from its ‘spiritual sales’.

Clocking off: is Japan’s culture of overwork finally dying?

The average hours put in by Japanese workers are lower than those of their American and Italian counterparts.

‘Enormous failure’: naked man exposes gaps in Japan’s royal security

Princess Kako reportedly witnessed the chaos firsthand as a shrieking intruder stripped off and scaled a barrier below the royal balcony.

Why China is worried Japan election may prompt change to pacifist constitution

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has already suggested she wants to revise the clause that renounces the use of force to settle disputes.

.css-1pcrwvc{color:#2aa191;}Macroscope | Trump-Takaichi meddling in finance spells more turbulence ahead

The two leaders’ moves into economics despite their lack of knowledge threaten to further destabilise global finance and inflate debt levels.

Do voters expect smiles? Why masks hurt female politicians in Japan

While there was no decline in support for masked male politicians, their female counterparts saw a significant drop, the survey showed.

.css-1t72pn8{color:#C79A00;}Video | Former Japanese leader Shinzo Abe’s killer sentenced to life

Under Japan’s legal system, the trial continued despite Tetsuya Yamagami admitting guilt to Abe’s murder.

Japan ex-PM Abe’s killer Yamagami gets life term for ‘despicable’ act

Abe’s assassination also ignited scrutiny of alleged ties between prominent conservative lawmakers and the Unification Church.

Japanese business leaders shelve annual China trip as tensions mount

Poor prospects for ‘substantial results’ prompts delegation of about 200 people to put visit on hold.

South Korean politicians agree to Unification Church special probe in rare move

The ruling DPK has accepted the opposition’s proposal to appoint special prosecutors to look into the church’s political meddling and bribes.

Security or freedom? Japan’s proposed anti-spy laws raise human rights concerns

Prime Minister Takaichi’s plans to tighten spying and secrecy rules could be used to stifle free speech and media freedom, analysts say.

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It is important that Japan, China and South Korea collectively reckon with the legacy of military aggression and wartime atrocities.

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After sensitive footage was cut, Shiori Ito’s ‘Black Box Diaries’ finally debuts in Japan, exposing sexual violence and pushing for #MeToo justice.

South Korea’s threat to dissolve corrupt religious groups risks blowback

President Lee’s move comes as a widening Unification Church bribery scandal implicates lawmakers from both major parties.

Unification Church leader denies knowing about gifts for Kim Keon-hee

South Korean prosecutors reject the claim, saying Han Hak-ja is an ‘absolute power holder’ and no funds can be used without her approval.

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Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi says that ‘China will never allow Japanese right-wing forces to turn back the clock of history’.

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Japan can protect its security and national interest by peaceful means rather than going down a belligerent path.

Yasukuni litmus test looms for Japan’s new PM Takaichi

As pressure mounts on Takaichi to visit Yasukuni as leader, analysts warn such a move could embolden the far-right and strain regional ties.

Warning or routine? Timing of Russian jet fly-past into Japan raises questions

Sanae Takaichi is unlikely to push to improve ties with Moscow, virtually frozen under previous prime ministers, experts say.

What a Philippines logistics deal reveals about Japan’s Asean strategy

Analysts view the Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement as an emphatic continuation of Shinzo Abe’s ‘Free and Open Indo-Pacific’ vision.

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From golden golf balls to a Nobel Peace Prize nomination, Sanae Takaichi’s attempts to stroke the US president’s ego polarised opinion.

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Prosecutors say Tetsuya Yamagami wanted to draw attention to the Unification Church by killing the influential former prime minister.

Macroscope | Trump-Takaichi meddling in finance spells more turbulence ahead

Video | Former Japanese leader Shinzo Abe’s killer sentenced to life