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
Yamaguchi prefecture
Died May 15, 1991 (aged 67)
Tokyo
Political party Liberal Democratic Party
Spouse(s) Yoko
Children 2
Alma mater Tokyo University
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 Yamaguchi prefecture[2] on April 29, 1924 and the eldest son of pre-World War I politician and member of Parliament Kan Abe. His mother was an army general's daughter.[3] He was a graduate of Tokyo University's law department.[3]

Career

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 Zenko 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]

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. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Yates, Ronald E. (May 16, 1991). "Shintaro Abe, 67". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved January 1, 2013.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 "Shintaro Abe; Ex-Japanese Foreign Minister". Los Angeles Times (Tokyo). May 16, 1991. Retrieved January 1, 2013.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 "Shintaro Abe, Japanese Political Leader". The Seattle Times. May 15, 1991. Retrieved January 1, 2013.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "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.
Political offices
Preceded by
Sunao Sonoda		 Chief Cabinet Secretary
1977–1978 		Succeeded by
Rokusuke Tanaka
Preceded by
Rokusuke Tanaka		 Minister of International Trade and Industry
1981–1982 		Succeeded by
Sadanori Yamanaka
Preceded by
Yoshio Sakurauchi		 Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan
1982–1986 		Succeeded by
Tadashi Kuranari