Shintaro Abe

Shintaro Abe
Minister of Foreign Affairs
In office November 27, 1982 – July 22, 1986
Prime Minister	Yasuhiro Nakasone
Preceded by	Yoshio Sakurauchi
Succeeded by	Tadashi Kuranari
Personal details
Born	April 29, 1924 Tokyo
Died	May 15, 1991 (aged 67) Tokyo
Political party	Liberal Democratic Party
Spouse(s)	Yoko
Children	2
Alma mater	University of Tokyo
Religion	Shinto

Shintaro Abe (安倍 晋太郎 Abe Shintarō, April 29, 1924 – May 15, 1991)^[1] was a Japanese politician from Yamaguchi Prefecture. He was a leading member of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). He was Japan's longest reigning postwar foreign minister.^[2]

Early life and education

Abe was born in Tokyo on April 29, 1924. He was raised in his father's home prefecture of Yamaguchi from soon after his birth. He was the eldest son of pre–World War I politician and member of Parliament Kan Abe. His mother was an army general's daughter.^[3]

Career

After graduating from the Faculty of Law at University of Tokyo, Shintaro Abe began his career as a political reporter for Mainichi Shimbun.^[4] He became a politician in 1957, when he started working as a legislative aide of the then-prime minister Nobusuke Kishi.^[4] He won his father's seat in the House of Representatives in 1958.^[3]

He led a major LDP faction, the conservative Seiwa Seisaku Kenkyūkai, whose reins took from former Prime Minister Takeo Fukuda in July 1986, and held a variety of ministerial and party posts. He held different ministerial posts, including minister of agriculture, forestry and fisheries, minister of international trade and industry.^[3] Abe was named as minister of international trade and industry in the cabinet of the then prime minister Zenkō Suzuki on November 30, 1981.^[5] During this period, he was seen as young leader groomed for the future prime ministry.^[5] In November 1982, he was appointed minister of foreign affairs in the cabinet of the then-prime minister Yasuhiro Nakasone, replacing Yoshio Sakurauchi. His term lasted until 1986.^[2]

Meeting with Ronald Reagan in 1987

Abe was a top contender to succeed Nakasone as prime minister in 1987, until he stepped aside for Noboru Takeshita, head of a powerful rival faction. Then, he was given the post of general secretary of the party in 1987.^[2] In 1988, his chances of becoming prime minister sometime in a near future were again thwarted when his name became associated with the Recruit-Cosmos insider-trading stock scandal, which brought down Takeshita and forced Abe to resign as the party's general secretary in December 1988.^[2]

Personal life

Abe was son-in-law of Prime Minister Nobusuke Kishi. He was married to Yoko Kishi, daughter of Prime Minister Nobusuke Kishi in 1951.^[2] His second son, Shinzō Abe, became Prime Minister of Japan on September 26, 2006, and on December 26, 2012.^[6]

Death

Abe was hospitalized in January 1991.^[3] He died of heart failure at Tokyo's Juntendo University Hospital on May 15, 1991.^[4]

References

1. "Abe, Shintaro". Who Was Who in America, with World Notables, v. 10: 1989-1993. New Providence, NJ: Marquis Who's Who. 1993. p. 1. ISBN 0837902207.
2. Yates, Ronald E. (May 16, 1991). "Shintaro Abe, 67". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved January 1, 2013.
3. "Shintaro Abe; Ex-Japanese Foreign Minister". Los Angeles Times. Tokyo. May 16, 1991. Retrieved January 1, 2013.
4. "Shintaro Abe, Japanese Political Leader". The Seattle Times. May 15, 1991. Retrieved January 1, 2013.
5. "Japan's cabinet shuffled". Spokane Daily Chronicle. Tokyo. UPI. November 30, 1981. Retrieved January 1, 2013.
6. "Profile: Shinzo Abe". BBC. December 17, 2012. Retrieved January 1, 2013.