Shinzo Abe (sometimes written to Abe, which is not entirely accurate) is the current head of the Japanese government. Today, interest in this person is fueled by negotiations between Russia and the Land of the Rising Sun on the transfer of the last two islands of the Kuril Ridge. Will a politician like Abe manage to get concessions from Moscow?
Biography
The name of Shinzo Abe is well known even to those Russians who are poorly watching politics. No wonder: Mr. Abe became the head of the Japanese government four times. The first time - in the “zero” years, the last time - in 2017.
It should be noted that in Japan, the head of state - the emperor - has only nominal power. The main levers of power are concentrated by the prime minister.
Four times to rise to the top of the political hierarchy of Shinzo Abe helped not only the undoubted ability, but also the origin. His maternal grandfather, Nobusuke Kishi, was the prime minister in 1957-1960. Father in the 80s last century served as Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Shinzo Abe was born in 1954. He had been preparing for a career in the public arena since his youth. He studied political science at Seikey University in Tokyo. In addition, in the late 1970s. he temporarily moved to America to study at the University of Southern California School of Public Policy.
Young Abe began his career at Kobe Steel, but after three years he switched to the civil service. In 1982, his father will stop as the head of the Japanese Foreign Ministry, and Shinzo as the assistant minister. Then he received a high post in the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), one of the leading political forces in his country.
Since 1993, Abe was regularly elected to the lower house of the Japanese parliament. In 2006 he became chairman of the LDP, and soon became the head of the government for the first time. At the same time, he became the youngest prime minister in recent history of Japan.
The years of S. Abe's tenure as Prime Minister:
- 2006-2007
- 2012-2014
- 2014-2017
- 2017 to the present.
Personal life
Wife - Akie, daughter of a major businessman. The couple has no children.
Among Shinzo Abe's hobbies are golf, archery. The politician actively uses Facebook, where he has more than half a million subscribers. Fluent in English.
Political Views
Being a liberal democrat, Abe devotes a special place in domestic politics to the economy. In 2013, he proclaimed a new strategy, which journalists dubbed “Abenomics” (similar to “Reaganomics”). Its features are the growth of government spending on large projects, the stimulation of private investment in the country's economy. In addition, Abe promotes the idea of increasing the role of women in the political and economic spheres.
In foreign policy, Abe adheres to a course of military cooperation with the United States, sharply opposing North Korea.
At the same time, Abe is pursuing a course to build up Japan’s military power. After the defeat in World War II, the country disposes of the Self-Defense Forces. Under Abe, a reform project was adopted to transform the armed forces of Japan into a full-fledged army with powerful offensive capabilities.
