Shinzo Abe | Biography, Assassination, & Facts

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border-left-sm open"> <div class="drawer d-flex flex-column open"> <div class="left-rail-section-content"> <div class="topic-left-rail-header text-truncate bg-gray-50 position-relative text-right d-flex align-items-center"> <div class="tlr-title px-20 py-15 text-left"> <em class="material-icons text-gray-400 d-lg-none" data-icon="toc"></em> <a class="font-serif font-weight-bold text-black link-blue" href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Abe-Shinzo">Shinzo Abe</a> </div> <button aria-label="Close" class="js-sections-close-button btn-link btn-sm btn d-lg-none position-absolute top-0 p-10 right-0" > <em class="material-icons font-26" data-icon="close"></em> </button> </div> <div class="section-content pl-10 pr-20 pl-sm-50 pr-sm-60 pl-lg-5 pr-lg-10 pt-10 pt-lg-0 bg-gray-50 clear-catfish-ad"> <div class="toc mb-20"> <div class="font-serif font-14 font-weight-bold mx-15 mb-15 mt-20"> Table of Contents </div> <ul class="list-unstyled my-0" data-level="h1"><li data-target="#ref1"><div class="pl-25"><a class="link-gray-900 w-100" href="/biography/Abe-Shinzo">Introduction</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"></div></li><li data-target="#ref345494"><div class="d-flex align-items-center"><div class="ml-25"></div><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/biography/Abe-Shinzo#ref345494">Early life and first term as prime minister</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"></div></li><li data-target="#ref345495"><div class="d-flex align-items-center"><div class="ml-25"></div><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/biography/Abe-Shinzo#ref345495">Second term and “Abenomics”</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"></div></li></ul> <a class="toc-extra-link link-gray-900" href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Abe-Shinzo/additional-info">References & Edit History</a> <a class="toc-extra-link link-gray-900" href="/facts/Abe-Shinzo">Quick Facts & Related Topics</a> </div> <div class="tlr-media-slider pb-10 mb-30"> <a class="section-header 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<a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/16/181416-050-C4126B33/summit-APEC-Shinzo-Abe-Pres-Beijing-Japan-November-10-2014.jpg" data-href="/media/1/1109913/228400" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/16/181416-004-6477DBF6/summit-APEC-Shinzo-Abe-Pres-Beijing-Japan-November-10-2014.jpg" alt="Shinzo Abe and Xi Jinping" height="50" /> </a> <a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/39/96939-004-B4DE928F/Abe-Shinzo-2006.jpg" data-href="/media/1/1109913/92209" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/39/96939-004-B4DE928F/Abe-Shinzo-2006.jpg" alt="Shinzo Abe" height="50" /> </a> <a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/61/190361-050-52BB84DF/Pres-Abe-Shinzo-Barack-Obama-Japanese-Hiroshima-May-27-2016.jpg" data-href="/media/1/1109913/212532" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/61/190361-004-419BE26B/Pres-Abe-Shinzo-Barack-Obama-Japanese-Hiroshima-May-27-2016.jpg" alt="Barack Obama and Abe Shinzo" height="50" /> </a> </div> <button disabled class="prev-button js-prev-button position-absolute btn btn-circle shadow btn-blue " aria-label="Previous"> <span class="material-icons md-24" data-icon="keyboard_arrow_left"></span> </button> <button disabled class="next-button js-next-button position-absolute btn btn-circle shadow btn-blue " aria-label="Next"> <span class="material-icons md-24" data-icon="keyboard_arrow_right"></span> </button> </div> </div> <div class="mb-30 tlr-read-next"> <div class="text-gray-900 p-5 font-serif font-14 font-weight-bold mx-10 mb-10"> Read Next </div> <div class="imagelink-with-image-on-the-side card card-horizontal tlr-img-with-side-link ml-15 link-gray-900 mb-10" > <div class="position-relative card-media" style="flex: 0;"> <a class="ilf-image position-relative" 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He holds an M.A. in Japanese studies from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. As part of his master's program,...</div> </a> <div data-popper-arrow></div> </div> <span class="btn btn-link editor-link p-0 qa-byline-link gtm-byline font-12 byline-contributor text-decoration-underline"> Kenneth Pletcher</span></div> <div class="font-serif font-12 text-gray-700"> <span class="qa-fact-checked-by">Fact-checked by</span> <div class="editor-popover popover p-0"> <a class="d-block p-20 font-12" href="/editor/The-Editors-of-Encyclopaedia-Britannica/4419" > <div class="editor-title font-16 font-weight-bold">The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</div> <div class="editor-description font-12 font-serif mt-5 text-black">Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.</div> </a> <div data-popper-arrow></div> </div> <span class="btn btn-link editor-link p-0 qa-byline-link font-12 "> The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</span></div> <div class="last-updated font-12 font-serif"> <span class="text-gray-700"> Last Updated: <time datetime="2024-11-13T00:00:00CST" >Nov 13, 2024</time> •</span> <a class="byline-edit-history" href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Abe-Shinzo/additional-info#history" rel="nofollow">Article History</a> </div></div> </div> <button class="d-flex d-lg-none btn btn-outline-blue border rounded-sm shadow-sm mobile-toc-button gtm-mobile-toc-inline-button d-none d-sm-block js-sections-inline-button module-spacing btn d-lg-none"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="toc"></em> Table of Contents </button> <div class="d-flex d-sm-none flex-row"> <button class="d-flex d-lg-none btn btn-outline-blue border rounded-sm shadow-sm 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class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Died: </dt> <dd>July 8, 2022, <a href="/place/Nara-Japan">Nara</a>, <a href="/place/Japan">Japan</a> (aged 67)</dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> </div> <div class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Title / Office: </dt> <dd><a href="/topic/prime-minister">prime minister (2012-2020)</a>, <a href="/place/Japan">Japan</a></dd> <dd><a href="/topic/prime-minister">prime minister (2006-2007)</a>, <a href="/place/Japan">Japan</a></dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> </div> <div class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Political Affiliation: </dt> <dd><a href="/topic/Liberal-Democratic-Party-of-Japan">Liberal-Democratic Party of Japan</a></dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> <div class="text-center"> <a class="btn btn-sm btn-link p-0" href="/facts/Abe-Shinzo"> See all related content </a> </div> </div> </div> </div><div class="bg-gray-50 p-15 rounded module-spacing recent-news d-flex flex-column float-false"> <div> <h2 class="font-weight-bold font-14 m-0 d-inline"> News <span class="text-gray-600">•</span> </h2> <div class="recent-news-item first-recent-news-item d-inline"> <a class="font-14 gtm-ap-news-link" href="https://www.newsweek.com/south-korea-president-golf-trump-america-first-1984509" rel="nofollow">South Korean President Yoon Practices Golf To Bond with Trump</a> <span class="font-14 text-gray-600"> <span>•</span> Nov. 12, 2024, 3:14 AM ET (Newsweek) <button class="btn 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data-level="1" id="ref1"><span class="marker PREMOD1 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph"><strong><span id="ref896036"></span>Shinzo Abe</strong> (born September 21, 1954, Tokyo, Japan—died July 8, 2022, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Nara-Japan" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Nara</a>, Japan) was a Japanese politician, who twice served as the prime minister of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Japan" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Japan</a> (2006–07 and 2012–20). His 2022 assassination sent shockwaves throughout Japan.</p><span class="marker MOD1 mod-inline"></span></section> <span class="marker h2"></span><section data-level="1" id="ref345494"> <h2 class="h1">Early life and first term as prime minister</h2> <span class="marker PREMOD2 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Abe was a member of a prominent political family. His grandfather <span id="ref914451"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Kishi-Nobusuke" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Nobusuke Kishi</a> served as Japan’s <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/prime-minister" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">prime minister</a> from 1957 to 1960, and his great-uncle <span id="ref914452"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Sato-Eisaku" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Eisaku Satō</a> held the same post from 1964 to 1972. After graduating from Seikei University in <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Tokyo-Yokohama-Metropolitan-Area" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Tokyo</a> (1977), Abe moved to the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/United-States" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">United States</a>, where he studied <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/political-science" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">political science</a> at the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/University-of-Southern-California" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">University of Southern California</a>, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Los-Angeles-California" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Los Angeles</a>. In 1979 he returned to Japan and joined <a href="https://www.britannica.com/money/Kobe-Steel-Ltd" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Kōbe Steel, Ltd.</a> He subsequently became active in the <span id="ref896038"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Liberal-Democratic-Party-of-Japan" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Liberal-Democratic Party</a> (LDP), and in 1982 he began working as secretary to his father, <span id="ref1304325"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Abe-Shintaro" class="md-crosslink ">Shintaro Abe</a>, who was Japan’s foreign minister.</p><span class="marker MOD2 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD3 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">In 1993 Shinzo Abe won a seat in the lower house of the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Diet-Japanese-government" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Diet</a> (parliament) and later held a series of government posts. He garnered much support for his tough stance toward <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/North-Korea" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">North Korea</a>, especially after that <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/nation-state" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">country</a> revealed in 2002 that it had kidnapped 13 Japanese citizens in the 1970s and ’80s. Abe, who was then deputy chief cabinet secretary, oversaw the subsequent negotiations. In 2003 he was named secretary general of the LDP. Due to LDP term limits, prime minister and LDP leader <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Koizumi-Junichiro" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Junichiro Koizumi</a> was forced to leave office in 2006, and he was succeeded in both posts by Abe. Abe became the country’s first prime minister to have been born after <a href="https://www.britannica.com/event/World-War-II" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">World War II</a> and its youngest since the war.</p><div class="module-spacing"> </div><span class="marker MOD3 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD4 mod-inline"></span><div class="assemblies"><div class="w-100"><figure class="md-assembly m-0 mb-md-0 card card-borderless print-false" data-assembly-id="100508" data-asm-type="image"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media " data-type="image"><a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/20/100420-050-96733662/Abe-Shinzo-session-Diet-2007.jpg" class="gtm-assembly-link position-relative d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center media-overlay-link card-media" data-href="/media/1/1109913/100508"><picture><source media="(min-width: 680px)" srcset="https://cdn.britannica.com/20/100420-050-96733662/Abe-Shinzo-session-Diet-2007.jpg?w=300"><img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/20/100420-050-96733662/Abe-Shinzo-session-Diet-2007.jpg?w=300" alt="Shinzo Abe" data-width="1600" data-height="1067" loading="eager"></picture><button class="magnifying-glass btn btn-circle position-absolute shadow btn-white top-10 right-10" aria-label="Zoom in"><em class="material-icons link-blue" data-icon="zoom_in"></em></button></a></div><figcaption class="card-body"><div class="md-assembly-caption text-muted font-14 font-serif line-clamp"><span><a class="gtm-assembly-link md-assembly-title font-weight-bold d-inline font-sans-serif mr-5 media-overlay-link" href="https://cdn.britannica.com/20/100420-050-96733662/Abe-Shinzo-session-Diet-2007.jpg" data-href="/media/1/1109913/100508">Shinzo Abe</a><span>Prime Minister Shinzo Abe opening the first session of the Diet in 2007.</span><button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white js-content" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"><span class="link-blue">(more)</span></button></span></div></figcaption></figure></div></div><p class="topic-paragraph">A <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="conservative" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/conservative" data-type="MW">conservative</a>, Abe sought to strengthen ties with the United States and pursue a more <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="assertive" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/assertive" data-type="MW">assertive</a> <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/foreign-policy" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">foreign policy</a>. Abe supported <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/United-Nations" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">United Nations</a> sanctions against North Korea following that country’s nuclear test and imposed a set of unilateral sanctions on North Korea that included a ban on all visits to Japanese ports by North Korean vessels. He also pledged to revise the country’s postwar <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/constitution-politics-and-law" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">constitution</a>, which placed severe restrictions on its military. In domestic affairs, Abe promised to shore up the country’s <a href="https://www.britannica.com/money/pension" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">pension</a> and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/money/health-insurance" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">health insurance</a> systems. However, his government soon became embroiled in a series of public gaffes and financial scandals. In addition, the administration drew <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="criticism" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/criticism" data-type="MW">criticism</a> for its slow response to the discovery that for a decade the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/government" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">government</a> had been mishandling the pension records of millions of citizens. In July 2007 the LDP lost its majority in the upper house to a coalition led by the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Democratic-Party-of-Japan" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Democratic Party of Japan</a> (DPJ), and in September Abe announced that he was resigning. He was succeeded by <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Fukuda-Yasuo" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Yasuo Fukuda</a>.</p><span class="marker MOD4 mod-inline"></span> </section> <span class="marker h3"></span><section data-level="1" id="ref345495"> <h2 class="h1">Second term and “Abenomics”</h2> <span class="marker PREMOD5 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Abe retained his seat in the lower house of the Diet but for several years remained quiet politically, especially after a DPJ-headed coalition took control of the government in 2009. That changed, however, when he was again elected leader of the LDP in September 2012. One of his first acts was to pay a visit to the <span id="ref1172316"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Yasukuni-Shrine" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Yasukuni Shrine</a> in <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Tokyo-Yokohama-Metropolitan-Area" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Tokyo</a>, a memorial to Japan’s military dead that includes individuals convicted of war crimes during World War II. That action precipitated loud protests from other countries in the Asia-Pacific region, and he provoked further controversy over his views on the <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="sovereignty" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sovereignty" data-type="MW">sovereignty</a> of islands in the Pacific that were disputed between <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/China" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">China</a> and Japan, as well as for his stance favouring revision of the pacifism clause in the Japanese constitution. Nonetheless, the LDP won a landslide victory in lower-house elections on December 16, 2012. On December 26 the new LDP majority in the chamber—bolstered by the members of the party’s coalition partner, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/New-Komeito" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">New Kōmeitō</a>—overwhelmingly approved Abe as prime minister. He replaced the DPJ’s <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Noda-Yoshihiko" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Yoshihiko Noda</a>, who resigned from office that day.</p><span class="marker MOD5 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD6 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Abe quickly launched an ambitious economic program intended to <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="stimulate" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/stimulate" data-type="EB">stimulate</a> the long-moribund Japanese economy and help speed the recovery of the northeastern <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Honshu" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Honshu</a> (Tōhoku) region devastated by the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/event/Japan-earthquake-and-tsunami-of-2011" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">2011 earthquake and tsunami</a>. The program, quickly dubbed “<span id="ref1304326"></span>Abenomics,” included measures such as raising the inflation rate, allowing the value of the yen to fall against the U.S. dollar and other foreign currencies, and increasing the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/money/money-supply" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">money supply</a> and government spending on major <a href="https://www.britannica.com/technology/public-utility" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">public works</a> projects. The Abe government received a big political boost in the July 2013 elections to the upper house of the Diet, when candidates from the LDP and its New Kōmeitō allies won enough seats to guarantee them a majority in that chamber.</p><span class="marker MOD6 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD7 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Abe’s economic program seemed to be working initially, with strong growth in 2013 and the first half of 2014 and a drop in the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/money/unemployment-rate" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">unemployment rate</a>. However, the second of a three-step increase in the national <a href="https://www.britannica.com/money/consumption-tax" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">consumption</a> (sales) tax (enacted in 2012 by the DPJ-led government) in April 2014 contributed to a dramatic drop in Japan’s economy during the rest of the year. By autumn the country had fallen into <a href="https://www.britannica.com/money/recession" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">recession</a>, and Abe’s approval rating was <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="plummeting" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/plummeting" data-type="EB">plummeting</a>. He decided to dissolve the lower house and call for snap parliamentary elections, which were held on December 14, 2014. Abe and the LDP won by a large margin, ensuring that he would retain the prime minister’s office. Voters, however, expressed little enthusiasm for the polling and turned out in record low numbers.</p><div class="module-spacing"> <DIV class="marketing-INLINE_SUBSCRIPTION marketing-content" data-marketing-id="INLINE_SUBSCRIPTION"><style> .student-promo-banner-wrapper { container-type: inline-size; margin-bottom: 15px; } @container (min-width: 475px) { .student-promo-banner { flex-direction: row; } .student-promo-banner-img-wrapper { margin-bottom: 0; margin-right: 10px; justify-content: flex-start; } .student-promo-banner-text-wrapper { text-align: left; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; } .student-promo-banner-button-wrapper { margin-right: 0; } }</style> <div class="student-promo-banner-wrapper"> <div class="student-promo-banner d-flex flex-column align-items-center bg-blue rounded p-20"> <div class="student-promo-banner-img-wrapper mb-20 mr-0 d-flex justify-content-center"> <img class="rounded" style="max-width: 100px; min-width: 80px" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/marketing/BlueThistle.webp" /> </div> <div class="student-promo-banner-text-wrapper ml-0 mb-10 text-center text-white"> <div class="h2 mb-10">Get Unlimited Access</div> <div class="h4 font-weight-semi-bold">Try Britannica Premium for free and discover more.</div> </div> <div class="student-promo-banner-button-wrapper d-flex justify-content-center align-items-center ml-auto mr-auto"> <a class="btn btn-m btn-orange" href="https://premium.britannica.com/premium-membership/?utm_source=premium&utm_medium=inline-cta&utm_campaign=black-friday-2024">Subscribe</a> </div> </div> </div> </DIV></div><span class="marker MOD7 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD8 mod-inline"></span><div class="assemblies"><div class="w-100"><figure class="md-assembly m-0 mb-md-0 card card-borderless print-false" data-assembly-id="228400" data-asm-type="image"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media " data-type="image"><a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/16/181416-050-C4126B33/summit-APEC-Shinzo-Abe-Pres-Beijing-Japan-November-10-2014.jpg" class="gtm-assembly-link position-relative d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center media-overlay-link card-media" data-href="/media/1/1109913/228400"><picture><source media="(min-width: 680px)" srcset="https://cdn.britannica.com/16/181416-050-C4126B33/summit-APEC-Shinzo-Abe-Pres-Beijing-Japan-November-10-2014.jpg?w=300"><img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/16/181416-050-C4126B33/summit-APEC-Shinzo-Abe-Pres-Beijing-Japan-November-10-2014.jpg?w=300" alt="Shinzo Abe and Xi Jinping" data-width="1600" data-height="1141" loading="eager"></picture><button class="magnifying-glass btn btn-circle position-absolute shadow btn-white top-10 right-10" aria-label="Zoom in"><em class="material-icons link-blue" data-icon="zoom_in"></em></button></a></div><figcaption class="card-body"><div class="md-assembly-caption text-muted font-14 font-serif line-clamp"><span><a class="gtm-assembly-link md-assembly-title font-weight-bold d-inline font-sans-serif mr-5 media-overlay-link" href="https://cdn.britannica.com/16/181416-050-C4126B33/summit-APEC-Shinzo-Abe-Pres-Beijing-Japan-November-10-2014.jpg" data-href="/media/1/1109913/228400">Shinzo Abe and Xi Jinping</a><span>Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (left) and Chinese Pres. Xi Jinping shaking hands at the APEC summit in Beijing, November 10, 2014.</span><button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white js-content" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"><span class="link-blue">(more)</span></button></span></div></figcaption></figure></div></div><p class="topic-paragraph">Following the LDP’s strong electoral win, the Abe administration actively pursued revision of the Japanese constitution. In 2014 the cabinet had approved a reinterpretation of the so-called peace clause of the constitution, which paved the way for it to <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="endorse" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/endorse" data-type="MW">endorse</a> bills in May 2015 that would make it easier for Japan to use military force if the country were attacked or threatened. Those bills subsequently were passed by the lower house in July and the upper house in September. Popular opposition to the measures was strong, however, with former prime minister <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Murayama-Tomiichi" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Tomiichi Murayama</a> joining the protesters. Abe’s government also faced controversy over the proposed new stadium in Tokyo for the 2020 <a href="https://www.britannica.com/sports/Olympic-Games" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Olympic Games</a>. The venue’s design, by architect <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Zaha-Hadid" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Zaha Hadid</a>, initially had been accepted but in 2015 was rejected amid concerns over ballooning construction costs. Abe’s position in the LDP remained strong, however, and in September 2015 he was elected without opposition to another term as party president.</p><span class="marker MOD8 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD9 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Although Abe’s personal approval rating had consistently remained below 50 percent since December 2014, the LDP won a landslide victory in the July 2016 elections for the upper house of the Diet. The result gave the LDP and New Kōmeitō supermajorities in both the upper and lower houses, paving the way for <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="constitutional" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/constitutional" data-type="MW">constitutional</a> changes that Abe had long advocated. Buoying the LDP was the almost complete collapse of the opposition DPJ, which struggled to present any credible <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="alternatives" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/alternatives" data-type="MW">alternatives</a> to Abenomics. A string of scandals in early 2017 pushed Abe’s popularity to record lows, but its rebound in late summer compelled him to call <span id="ref1304327"></span>snap elections for the lower house in an attempt to strengthen his already <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="formidable" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/formidable" data-type="MW">formidable</a> majority there. The DPJ, which had rebranded itself as the Democratic Party after merging with the Japan <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="Innovation" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Innovation" data-type="MW">Innovation</a> Party in 2016, effectively voted itself out of existence in September 2017. DPJ lawmakers who had planned to contest the October 2017 election were told to forsake their party affiliation and apply for membership in the <span id="ref1253043"></span>Party of Hope, an upstart reform party launched by Tokyo governor and former LDP member <span id="ref1253044"></span>Yuriko Koike.</p><span class="marker MOD9 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD10 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Preelection polling put the Party of Hope far behind the incumbent LDP coalition, and Koike splintered the opposition further when she introduced a litmus test that excluded liberal candidates. Koike ultimately declined to run for a seat in the lower house, and the liberal opposition broke away from the Party of Hope to form the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Kadet" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Constitutional Democratic Party</a>. Abe’s political <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="instincts" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/instincts" data-type="EB">instincts</a> proved to be correct. Although he remained personally unpopular, the opposition was in disarray, and the 2017 elections saw the LDP return commanding majorities to the upper and lower houses of the Diet. Many expected Abe to move forward with his long-promised revision to the constitution, but widespread public disapproval led to the measure being postponed indefinitely.</p><span class="marker MOD10 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD11 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Abe became Japan’s longest-serving prime minister in November 2019, when his time in office eclipsed that of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Koshaku-Katsura-Taro" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Kōshaku Katsura Tarō</a>, who had served three nonconsecutive terms in the early 20th century. In August 2020 Abe announced that he would resign as prime minister because of a recurrence of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/ulcerative-colitis" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">ulcerative colitis</a>, although he remained in office in a caretaker <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="capacity" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/capacity" data-type="EB">capacity</a> pending the selection of a successor. On September 14, 2020, <span id="ref1304423"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Suga-Yoshihide" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Yoshihide Suga</a>, Abe’s chief cabinet secretary, was chosen as the new leader of the LDP, and he became prime minister two days later.</p><div class="one-good-fact-module"> </div><span class="marker MOD11 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD12 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">While delivering a campaign speech for a colleague on July 8, 2022, Abe was assassinated. A 41-year-old man with a homemade gun was arrested at the scene, and police said he later confessed. According to some news outlets, the assailant was upset that his mother was bankrupt after donating to a religious group that had <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="alleged" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/alleged" data-type="MW">alleged</a> ties to Abe.</p><span class="marker MOD12 mod-inline"></span> </section> <span class="md-signature"><a href="/editor/Kenneth-Pletcher/6746">Kenneth Pletcher</a></span> <span class="md-signature"><a href="/editor/The-Editors-of-Encyclopaedia-Britannica/4419">The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</a></span><span class="marker end-of-content"></span><span class="marker after-article"></span></div> <div id="chatbot-root"></div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="ai-dialog-placeholder"></div> </div> </div> <aside class="col-md-da-320"></aside> </div> </div> </div> </div> </article></div> </div></div> </div> </main> <div id="md-footer"></div> <noscript><iframe src="//www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-5W6NC8" height="0" width="0" style="display:none;visibility:hidden"></iframe></noscript> <script type="text/javascript" id="_informizely_script_tag"> var IzWidget = IzWidget || {}; (function (d) { var scriptElement = d.createElement('script'); scriptElement.type = 'text/javascript'; scriptElement.async = true; scriptElement.src = "https://insitez.blob.core.windows.net/site/f780f33e-a610-4ac2-af81-3eb184037547.js"; var node = d.getElementById('_informizely_script_tag'); node.parentNode.insertBefore(scriptElement, node); } )(document); </script>  <script> window.ap3c = window.ap3c || {}; var ap3c = window.ap3c; ap3c.cmd = ap3c.cmd || []; ap3c.cmd.push(function() { ap3c.init('ZO4siT4cLwnykPnzZWJtd3Byb2Q', 'https://engage.email.britannica.com/'); ap3c.track({v: 0}); }); ap3c.activity = function(act) { ap3c.act = (ap3c.act || []); ap3c.act.push(act); }; var s, t; s = document.createElement('script'); s.type = 'text/javascript'; s.src = "https://engage.email.britannica.com/app.js"; t = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; t.parentNode.insertBefore(s, t); </script> <script class="marketing-page-info" type="application/json"> {"pageType":"Topic","templateName":"DESKTOP","pageNumber":1,"pagesTotal":1,"pageId":1109913,"pageLength":1457,"initialLoad":true,"lastPageOfScroll":false} </script> <script class="marketing-content-info" type="application/json"> [] </script> <script src="https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-130/js/libs/jquery-3.5.0.min.js?v=3.130.14"></script> <script type="text/javascript" data-type="Init Mendel Code Splitting"> (function() { $.ajax({ dataType: 'script', cache: true, url: 'https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-130/dist/topic-page.js?v=3.130.14' }); })(); </script> <script class="analytics-metadata" type="application/json"> {"leg":"D","adLeg":"D","userType":"ANONYMOUS","pageType":"Topic","pageSubtype":null,"articleTemplateType":"BIO_LARGE","gisted":false,"pageNumber":1,"hasSummarizeButton":false,"hasAskButton":false} </script> <script type="text/javascript"> EBStat={accountId:-1,hostnameOverride:'webstats.eb.com',domain:'www.britannica.com', json:''}; </script> <script type="text/javascript"> ( function() { $.ajax( { dataType: 'script', cache: true, url: '//www.britannica.com/webstats/mendelstats.js?v=1' } ) .done( function() { try {writeStat(null,EBStat);} catch(err){} } ); })(); </script> <div id="bc-fixed-dialogue"></div> </body> </html>

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Shinzo Abe | Biography, Assassination, & Facts | Britannica