Shinzo Abe

Shinzō Abe ( Japanese 安倍 晋三? / i Abe Shinzō [ abe ɕinzoː ]; born 21 September 1954 in Shinjuku, Tokyo Prefecture ; † 8 July 2022 in Kashihara, Nara Prefecture was a Japanese politician.

Abe served as the 57th Prime Minister of Japan from 26 December 2012 to 16 September 2020, having previously held that post from 26 September 2006 to 26 September 2007. Abe was also leader of the Liberal Democratic Party, which he chaired from 2006 to 2007 and again from 2012 to 2020. Under Abe, Japan had shifted significantly to the right. Time magazine named Abe one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2014 and 2018. Abe was the longest-serving Prime Minister in Japanese history and since 24 August 2020 (before his great-uncle Satō Eisaku) also the longest consecutive prime minister. Since 2021, Abe has led his own faction in the LDP, the largest in the party in recent decades.

On 8 July 8 2022, Abe was shot and fatally injured during a campaign rally on the street.