Polarising Japanese politician who promoted “Abenomics”
Shinzo Abe 1954-2022
Shinzo Abe was a dominant figure in postwar Japanese politics, said The Times, and his country’s longest-serving prime minister. A right-wing nationalist, bent on restoring Japanese pride and confidence, he was known for his battles to reform the country’s pacifistic constitution, drafted by the US in 1947; for his efforts to forge international alliances and new trade deals; and for his attempt to jumpstart Japan’s moribund economy, with the programme known as Abenomics. In a reference to a Japanese folk story, he said it had three “arrows”: loose monetary policy; expansionary fiscal policy; and structural reform that included encouraging more women into the workplace.
Born in Tokyo in 1954, Shinzo Abe was the scion of a right-wing political dynasty. His grandfather was Nobusuke Kishi, a suspected war criminal who became PM in 1957; his father served as foreign minister. Abe joined the family business as his father’s assistant in 1982, and following his father’s death, he won his seat, for the Liberal Democratic Party. Politically, he made his mark by championing the cause of 17 Japanese citizens who’d been abducted by North Korea, to teach its spies Japanese; and won his first term as PM in 2006. It was not a success. He resigned after a year, suffering from a severe bout of ulcerative colitis that had left him needing to visit the lavatory 30 times a day. He admitted that everyone thought he was “useless”, and his career seemed to be over; but having got his illness back under control, he returned to power in 2012, shortly after the Fukushima nuclear disaster. In his second term, he worked to counter Chinese influence in the Indo-Pacific, by forging strategic partnerships with the US and other allies; he was dubbed the “Trump whisperer” for his fruitful diplomatic efforts in Washington; and scored a further coup by appearing at the closing ceremony of the 2016 Rio Olympic Games dressed as the lead character from the Super Mario video games, to promote the 2020 Tokyo Games (eventually held in 2021).
But he was unable to persuade the Japanese to revise Article 9 of the constitution that limits its army to a defensive role; Abenomics was only a partial success; Japan slipped down the press freedom indices during his tenure; and his administration was dogged by corruption allegations. Criticised for his handling of the Covid pandemic, he resigned in 2020, citing a relapse of his colitis.