The Rikken-Dōshi Kai ( Japanese : 立憲同志会 , lit. 'Association of Comrades of the Constitution') was a political party active in the Empire of Japan in the early years of the 20th century. It was also known as simply the Dōshikai .
99-656: Founded by Prime Minister Katsura Tarō on February 7, 1913, the Rikken Dōshikai largely served to support his cabinet against criticism by Ozaki Yukio and his Rikken Seiyūkai party, which at the time held a majority of the seats in the Lower House of the Diet of Japan , as well as by Inukai Tsuyoshi of the Rikken Kokuminto party. Katsura was able to convince 90 Diet members (including all 31 members of
198-483: A bachelor's degree in political science from Seikei University in 1977. From 1978 to 1979, Abe attended the University of Southern California where he studied English as a visiting student. After taking courses in history, international relations, and political science for three semesters, Abe left. Abe is reported to have been an average student. In April 1979, Abe began working for Kobe Steel . He left
297-608: A kamikaze pilot but the war ended before he completed training. Abe's maternal grandfather, Nobusuke Kishi , was the de facto "economic king" of occupied China and Manchukuo , a Japanese puppet state in Northern China established after the Japanese invasion of Manchuria in the lead-up to the Second Sino-Japanese War and World War II. During the war, Kishi served as Vice Minister of Munitions in
396-599: A trade dispute with South Korea after the South Korean Supreme Court ruled that reparations be made by Japanese companies who had benefited from forced labor . Abe was considered a hard-liner with respect to Japan's military policies. In 2007, he initiated the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue during his first tenure as prime minister, aimed at resisting China's rise as a superpower. He advocated for amending Article 9 of
495-535: A "growth first" policy that prioritizes economic expansion and recovery over budget considerations using the slogan "no fiscal health without economic revitalization". Abe's decision to delay the consumption tax increase in November 2014 and his push for a large fiscal deficit in the 2015 budget without social security cuts was interpreted as a victory for this faction within the LDP. The government did, however, commit to
594-529: A "politician who fights" and previously pledged not to resign. Abe explained that his unpopularity was hindering the passage of an anti-terrorism law, involving among other things Japan's continued military presence in Afghanistan . Party officials also said the embattled prime minister was suffering from poor health. Abe remained in the National Diet following his resignation as prime minister. He
693-452: A 10.3 trillion yen stimulus package, composed of public works spending, aid for small businesses and investment incentives, that aimed to increase growth by 2 percent. The budget also increased defense spending and manpower while reducing foreign aid. In Autumn 2013, Abe decided to proceed with the first stage of the increase in the consumption tax from 5 to 8 percent in April 2014 (with
792-541: A Beautiful Nation ( 美しい国へ , Utsukushii kuni e ) . North Korea criticized this Japanese decision as a breach of a diplomatic promise, and the negotiations were aborted. Abe publicly recognized the need for improved relations with the People's Republic of China (PRC) and, along with Foreign Minister Tarō Asō, sought an eventual summit meeting with PRC paramount leader Hu Jintao . Abe also said that China–Japan relations should not continue to be based on "emotions". Abe
891-454: A Chinese-inspired legal system known as ritsuryō was enacted in the late Asuka period and early Nara period . It described a government based on an elaborate and rational meritocratic bureaucracy, serving, in theory, under the ultimate authority of the emperor ; although in practice, real power was often held elsewhere, such as in the hands of the Fujiwara clan , who intermarried with
990-562: A Japanese statesman and politician who served as the prime minister of Japan and president of the Liberal Democratic Party ( LDP ) from 2006 to 2007 and again from 2012 to 2020. He was the longest-serving prime minister in Japanese history, serving for almost nine years in total. Abe also served as Chief Cabinet Secretary from 2005 to 2006 under Junichiro Koizumi and was briefly the opposition leader in 2012. Abe
1089-399: A Shimonoseki mayoral candidate in 1999. Abe was the chief negotiator for the Japanese government on behalf of the families of Japanese abductees taken to North Korea . As a part of the effort, he accompanied Koizumi to meet Kim Jong Il in 2002. He gained national popularity when he demanded that Japanese abductees visiting Japan remain in the country, in defiance of North Korea. Abe
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#17327654033171188-433: A bill to encourage nationalism and a "love for one's country and hometown" among the Japanese youth (specific wording from the revised "Fundamental Law of Education" 教育基本法 , which was revised to include "love of country"). In March 2007, Abe stated that there was no evidence that the Japanese military had forced women into sexual slavery during World War II, which the Japanese government had admitted and apologized for in
1287-512: A contrast to the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), which it alleged supported such policies. On 20 September 2006, Abe was elected as the president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party. His chief competitors for the position were Sadakazu Tanigaki and Tarō Asō . Yasuo Fukuda was a leading early contender but ultimately chose not to run. Former prime minister Yoshirō Mori, to whose faction both Abe and Fukuda belonged, stated that
1386-402: A cut in corporation tax to below 30 percent, an expansion of childcare to encourage women to join the workforce, and the loosening of restrictions on overtime. In December 2015, the government announced corporation tax would be reduced to 29.97 percent in 2016, bringing the cut forward one year ahead of schedule. In September 2013 Abe called for a "society in which all women can shine", setting
1485-437: A growth strategy focusing on structural reform and private sector investment to achieve long-term growth. In 2019, it was reported that 40% of key economic statistics collected from 2005 to 2017 contained errors, casting doubt on the effectiveness of Abe's economic program and the reliability of Japanese economic statistics. It was discovered that the labor ministry did not follow protocol by only surveying about one-third of all
1584-564: A hard-line stance on North Korea , especially regarding the North Korean abductions of Japanese citizens . In 2002 negotiations between Japan and North Korea, Prime Minister Koizumi and general secretary Kim Jong-il agreed to give abductees permission to visit Japan. A few weeks into the visit, the Japanese government decided that the abductees would be restricted from returning to North Korea where their families live. Abe took credit for this policy decision in his bestselling book, Towards
1683-477: A larger emphasis on foreign policy and national security instead of domestic concerns like economic policy. It also speculated that Abe's primary goal may have been to revise the pacifist constitution. Abe expressed a general commitment to the reforms instituted by his predecessor, Junichiro Koizumi. He took some steps toward balancing the Japanese budget, such as appointing a tax policy expert, Kōji Omi , as Minister of Finance. Omi previously supported increases in
1782-657: A member of the Japanese Diet, Abe visited Taiwan in 2010 and 2011. There he met with president Ma Ying-jeou , former president Lee Teng-hui and future president Tsai Ing-wen , who was then the leader of the Democratic Progressive Party . Ma described Abe as "the ROC's best friend" and said Abe was the third generation of his family to have close ties with the Republic of China. Abe also visited
1881-524: A move designed to facilitate TPP negotiations, improve the competitiveness of Japan's farming sector and curtail the influence of the agriculture lobby. Abe revealed the first measures related to the "third arrow" policies in June 2013, which included plans to establish deregulated economic zones and allow the sale of drugs online, but did not include substantial measures related to the labor market or business reform. These measures were less well-received than
1980-423: A package of structural reforms in June 2014, that The Economist described as "less a single arrow than a 1,000-strong bundle" and compared favorably to the 2013 announcement. These new measures included corporate governance reform, the easing of restrictions on hiring foreign staff in special economic zones, liberalizing the health sector, and measures to help foreign and local entrepreneurs. The plans also included
2079-516: A primary surplus by 2020, and pledged to review its strategy in 2018 if the primary deficit had not fallen to 1 percent of GDP by that time. On 15 March 2013, Abe announced that Japan was entering negotiations to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). This was interpreted by analysts as a means through which the government could enact reforms to liberalize certain sectors of the Japanese economy, most notably agriculture, and
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#17327654033172178-539: A second stage envisaged raising it to 10 percent in October 2015). The bill to raise the tax had been passed under the previous DPJ government, but the final decision lay with the Prime Minister. He and Finance Minister Tarō Asō explained that the tax would be increased to provide a "sustainable" basis for future social spending and to avoid the need to finance future stimulus by issuing government bonds. While this
2277-441: A series of political funding scandals. He was the first cabinet member to commit suicide since World War II. Abe's ruling Liberal Democratic Party suffered great losses in the upper house election , losing control for the first time in 52 years. Agricultural minister, Norihiko Akagi , involved in a political funding scandal, resigned after the election. Additionally, Abe's rejection of a possible female Japanese monarch, which led to
2376-534: A target that 30 percent of leadership positions should be held by women by 2020. Abe cited the "womenomics" ideas of Kathy Matsui that greater participation by women in the workforce, which is relatively low in Japan, especially in leadership roles, could improve Japan's GDP and potentially fertility rates, despite declining population figures. The Abe cabinet introduced measures to expand childcare and legislation to force public and private organizations to publish data on
2475-615: Is 'Prime Minister'. This English translation was informally used as the English translation of 'Grand Minister' before the introduction of the cabinet system. However, this was not the original English translation of 'Prime Minister', and a German translation, ' Minister President of the State' , was also used in the past. Before the adoption of the Meiji Constitution , Japan had in practice no written constitution . Originally,
2574-456: Is nominated by both houses of the Diet , before the conduct of any other business. For that purpose, each conducts a ballot under the run-off system. If the two houses choose different individuals, then a joint committee of both houses is appointed to agree on a common nominee. Ultimately, however, if the two houses do not agree, the decision of the House of Representatives is deemed to be that of
2673-645: Is the head of government of Japan . The prime minister chairs the Cabinet of Japan and has the ability to select and dismiss its ministers of state. The prime minister also serves as the commander-in-chief of the Japan Self Defence Forces and is a sitting member of either house of the National Diet (typically the House of Representatives ). The emperor appoints as prime minister
2772-672: The Kenseikai in October 1916. This article about a Japanese political party is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Prime Minister of Japan Naruhito [REDACTED] Fumihito [REDACTED] Shigeru Ishiba ( LDP ) Second Ishiba Cabinet ( LDP – Komeito coalition ) [REDACTED] [REDACTED] Fukushiro Nukaga Kōichirō Genba [REDACTED] Masakazu Sekiguchi Hiroyuki Nagahama Saburo Tokura Kazuo Ueda The prime minister of Japan ( Japanese : 内閣総理大臣 , Hepburn : Naikaku Sōri-Daijin )
2871-518: The Anpo protests . The BBC speculated that Abe's aversion to protests may have originated as a result. Abe viewed Kishi as his "No 1 role model" and was influenced by many of his beliefs, like Kishi's hawkish stance on China. Regarding Kishi, Abe later wrote: "Some people used to point to my grandfather as a 'Class-A war criminal suspect,' and I felt strong repulsion. Because of that experience, I may have become emotionally attached to 'conservatism,' on
2970-752: The Chūō Club and half of the Rikken Kokumintō ) to join his new party. The party survived Katsura's death in 1913, and under the leadership of Katō Takaaki placed five of its members in the Cabinet of Prime Minister Ōkuma Shigenobu in 1914–1916. It became the majority party in the Diet after the 1915 General Election , with a 153 seats. After the dissolution of the Ōkuma government, the Dōshikai merged with Chūseikai and other small political parties to form
3069-454: The DPJ -led cabinets, Kan and Noda Cabinets after the 2010 upper house election ; cf. Nejire Kokkai /"twisted Diets"). Unlike most of his counterparts in constitutional monarchies, the prime minister is both de jure and de facto chief executive. In most other constitutional monarchies, the monarch is at least nominal chief executive, while being bound by convention to act on the advice of
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3168-546: The Hata Cabinet in 1994 and at least numerically the Second Hashimoto Cabinet of 1996 during its first year, but with an extra-cabinet cooperation (閣外協力, kakugai kyōryoku ) agreement with two parties, sufficient to ensure safe majorities for most government initiatives), and several cabinets with a majority in the House of Representatives, but without legislative majority of their own (most recently
3267-532: The Heian period and until briefly under the Meiji Constitution with the appointment of Sanjō Sanetomi in 1871. The office was replaced in 1885 with the appointment of Itō Hirobumi to the new position of Minister President of State, four years before the enactment of the Meiji Constitution, which mentions neither the Cabinet nor the position of Prime Minister explicitly. It took its current form with
3366-560: The National Revolutionary Martyrs' Shrine , a shrine dedicated to the war dead of the Republic of China, including those who died in the Second Sino-Japanese War. Abe later revealed that the illness that contributed to ending his first term as prime minister was ulcerative colitis , but that he recovered due to access to a drug, Asacol , that was previously unavailable in Japan. Following
3465-717: The Prime Minister's Trophy on behalf of the Japan Professional Sports Association and the Monodzukuri Nippon award on behalf of the Japanese Manufacturing Association. Shinzo Abe Shinzo Abe ( / ˈ ʃ ɪ n z oʊ ˈ ɑː b eɪ / SHIN -zoh AH -bay ; Japanese : 安倍 晋三 , Hepburn : Abe Shinzō , IPA: [abe ɕindzoː] ; 21 September 1954 – 8 July 2022) was
3564-552: The South China Sea , the East China Sea and, indeed, the entire Western Pacific... China's military strategy has rested on the concept of a 'strategic frontier'. In a nutshell, this very dangerous idea posits that borders and exclusive economic zones are determined by national power, and that as long as China's economy continues to grow, its sphere of influence will continue to expand. Some might associate this with
3663-540: The Unification Church . This was the first assassination of a former Japanese prime minister since 1936 . A polarizing figure in Japanese politics, Abe was described by supporters as having worked to strengthen Japan's security and international stature, while opponents described his nationalistic policies and negationist views on history as threatening Japanese pacifism and damaging relations with East Asian neighbors, including China and South Korea. Shinzo Abe
3762-588: The Yasukuni Shrine . Abe, in his four terms as the prime minister of Japan, sought to upgrade the strategic Japan–India relationship. Abe initiated the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue between Japan, the United States, Australia, and India in 2007, which was seen as a counter to China's rising power. His three-day visit to India in August 2007 inaugurated a new bilateral Asian alliance, building on
3861-510: The emperor at the Tokyo Imperial Palace . Conventionally, the prime minister is almost always the leader of the majority party in the House of Representatives, or the leader of the senior partner in the governing coalition. But there have been three cabinet prime ministers from junior coalition partners ( Hitoshi Ashida : 1948, Morihiro Hosokawa : 1993 and Tomiichi Murayama : 1994), a few minority governments (most recently
3960-682: The imperial family in the Heian period , or by the ruling shōgun . Theoretically, the last ritsuryō code, the Yōrō Code enacted in 752, was still in force at the time of the Meiji Restoration . Under this system, the Daijō-daijin ( 太政大臣 , Chancellor of the Realm) was the head of the Daijō-kan (Department of State), the highest organ of Japan's pre-modern Imperial government during
4059-578: The 1992 Kono Statement . Responding to a potential motion by the US Congress encouraging Japan to acknowledge the atrocity, Abe stated that the Japanese government would not apologize again. Abe held conservative views in the Japanese succession controversy . Shortly after the birth of Prince Hisahito of Akishino , he abandoned a proposed legislative amendment to permit women to inherit the Chrysanthemum Throne . Abe generally took
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4158-468: The BOJ would boost the monetary easing program and accelerate asset purchases, the monetary policy committee split by five votes to four but supported the policy. This was interpreted as a response to disappointing economic figures in the aftermath of the increase in the consumption tax to 8 percent, inflation has fallen to 1 percent from its peak of 1.5 percent in April. The Abe Cabinet's first budget included
4257-598: The Bank's monetary policy committee after he had taken office in April, Kuroda announced an aggressive program of easing intended to double the money supply and achieve the 2 percent inflation target at "the earliest possible time". Over the first six months of the second Abe Cabinet, the Yen fell from a high of ¥77 to the dollar to ¥101.8, and the Nikkei 225 rose by 70 percent. In a surprise move in October 2014, Kuroda announced that
4356-446: The Diet, with the support of 328 out of 480 members of the House of Representatives. He and his second cabinet , which he called a "crisis-busting cabinet", were sworn in later that day. The new government included LDP heavyweights such as former prime minister Tarō Asō as Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister, Yoshihide Suga as Chief Cabinet Secretary and Akira Amari as Economy Minister. Following his victory, Abe said, "With
4455-404: The Diet. If the House of Councillors does not make a nomination within 10 days of the House of Representatives' nomination, the House of Representatives' nomination becomes the Diet's decision. Therefore, the House of Representatives can theoretically ensure the appointment of any prime minister it wants. The nominee is then presented with his or her commission, and formally appointed to office by
4554-729: The German concept of ' lebensraum '." Abe saw in the ASEAN countries a counterbalance to Chinese expansionism. Abe feared the Finlandization of Japan with respect to China, and saw the reaction of the Kan Cabinet to the September 2010 Senkaku boat collision incident as "a very foolish move" and "frighteningly naive". He stated the "imperative that Japan conduct a review of its Three Principles on Arms Exports ." While serving as
4653-609: The Japanese Constitution to legally codify the status of the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF). However, this was never achieved during his lifetime. He enacted military reforms in 2015 that allowed Japan to exercise collective security by allowing JSDF deployments overseas, the passage of which was controversial and met with protests . Economically, Abe attempted to counter Japan's economic stagnation with " Abenomics ", with mixed results. He
4752-568: The Japanese government maintains two Boeing 777 , which replaced the Boeing 747-400 also in 2019. The aircraft is also used by the emperor , the members of the imperial family, and other high-ranking officials. They have the radio callsigns Japanese Air Force One and Japanese Air Force Two when operating on official business, and Cygnus One and Cygnus Two when operating outside of official business (e.g., on training flights). The aircraft always fly together on government missions, with one serving as
4851-727: The Japanese succession controversy, diminished his support base. In an attempt to revive his administration, Abe announced a new cabinet in August 2007. Support for Abe rose by 10 percent as a result; however, the new agricultural minister Takehiko Endo , involved in a finance scandal, resigned only seven days later. On 12 September 2007, only three days after a new parliamentary session had begun, Abe announced his intention to resign his position as prime minister at an unscheduled press conference. The announcement came just minutes before opposition leaders were scheduled to question him in Parliament and shocked many. Abe had described himself as
4950-404: The LDP's landslide victory in that year's general election , Abe became the first former prime minister to return to office since Shigeru Yoshida in 1948. He led the LDP to further victories in the 2014 and 2017 elections , becoming Japan's longest-serving prime minister. In 2020, Abe again resigned as prime minister, citing a relapse of his colitis, and was succeeded by Yoshihide Suga . Abe
5049-631: The Philippines, and Indonesia in this arrangement has been speculated in the media of those states. Chinese strategic experts have labeled the evolving geo-strategic paradigm, the " Asian NATO ". Abe's pragmatic India foreign policy was to boost Japan's resurgent economic indicators while gaining a crucial partner in Asia. Abe sought to revise or broaden the interpretation of Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution in order to permit Japan to maintain de jure military forces. He stated that "we are reaching
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#17327654033175148-560: The adoption of the Constitution of Japan in 1947. To date, sixty-five men have served this position. The longest-serving prime minister to date is Shinzo Abe , who served in non-consecutive two terms for 8 years, 267 days: from 26 September 2006 until 26 September 2007, and from 26 December 2012 until 16 September 2020. The shortest-serving prime minister to date is Prince Naruhiko Higashikuni , who served for fifty-four days: from 17 August until 9 October 1945. The prime minister
5247-622: The annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos in 2014 Abe announced that he was ready to act as a " drill bit " to break through the rock of vested interests and "red tape" to achieve structural reforms of the economy. He cited reforms in agriculture, energy and health sectors as evidence of this, and pledged to push forward with the TPP, a Japan–EU trade deal and tax, corporate governance and planning reforms. Abe announced
5346-591: The bounds of cabinet collective responsibility , the Japanese Cabinet is effectively an extension of the prime minister's authority. Located near the Diet building, the Office of the Prime Minister of Japan is called the Naikaku Sōri Daijin Kantei ( 内閣総理大臣官邸 ) . The original Kantei served from 1929 until 2002, when a new building was inaugurated to serve as the current Kantei. The old Kantei
5445-665: The cabinet of Prime Minister Hideki Tojo . At the end of the war, Kishi was imprisoned as a suspected "Class-A" war criminal by the US military occupation of Japan , but was released and later de-purged as part of the Occupation's " reverse course " due to the Cold War . Kishi helped found the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in 1955 and served as Prime Minister of Japan from 1957 until his 1960 resignation following
5544-451: The cabinet's move to raise the consumption tax from 5 to 10 percent. Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda was forced to rely on the LDP to pass the consumption tax bill and in return was pressured by Abe and the opposition parties to hold a snap general election. Noda agreed to this on the conditions that the LDP passed a bond-financing bill and would support a commission to reform the social security system and address electoral malapportionment in
5643-471: The cabinet. In contrast, the Constitution of Japan explicitly vests executive power in the Cabinet, of which the prime minister is the leader; this greatly enhances the prime minister's position compared to prime ministers in other parliamentary democracies. His countersignature is required for all laws and Cabinet orders. While most ministers in parliamentary democracies have some freedom of action within
5742-552: The company in 1982 and pursued a number of government positions including executive assistant to the Minister for Foreign Affairs, private secretary to the chairperson of the LDP General Council, and private secretary to the LDP secretary-general. Abe worked as a secretary for his father who visited 81 countries in the 1980s. These travels imparted to Abe the importance of building relations with foreign leaders. Abe
5841-610: The contrary". His mother Yōko was a noted calligrapher . Abe's paternal grandfather, Kan Abe , was a Yamaguchi landowner who served in the House of Representatives during World War II. In contrast to Kishi, Kan Abe was a stalwart pacifist who opposed the Tojo government and war in East Asia. Abe attended Seikei Elementary School [ ja ] and Seikei Junior and Senior High School [ ja ] (成蹊中学校・高等学校). He studied public administration and graduated with
5940-409: The elections on 16 December 2012, the LDP won 294 seats in the 480-seat House of Representatives. Together with the New Komeito Party (which partnered with the LDP since the late 1990s), Abe was able to form a coalition government that controlled a two-thirds majority in the lower house, allowing it to override the upper house's veto. On 26 December 2012, Abe was formally elected as prime minister by
6039-400: The faction strongly leant toward Abe. On 26 September 2006, Abe was inaugurated as Japanese prime minister. Elected at age 52, he was the youngest prime minister since Fumimaro Konoe in 1941. He was also the first prime minister born after World War II . Abe's first cabinet was announced on 26 September 2006. The only minister retained in his position from the previous Koizumi cabinet
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#17327654033176138-431: The first of whom was Itō Hirobumi taking office on 22 December 1885. The longest-serving prime minister was Shinzo Abe , who served over eight years, and the shortest-serving was Prince Naruhiko Higashikuni , who served fifty-four days. The current prime minister is Shigeru Ishiba , who succeeded Fumio Kishida on 1 October 2024, following the 2024 Liberal Democratic Party presidential election . In Japanese, due to
6237-404: The first two arrows had been since Abe took office, with the stock market falling slightly and critics arguing that they lacked detail; The Economist , for example, judged the announcement a "misfire". Analysts did note, however, that Abe was waiting until after the July Upper House elections to reveal further details, to avoid an adverse reaction by voters to potentially unpopular reforms. At
6336-427: The following year. Confirmed by the National Diet , Abe became Japan's youngest post-war prime minister and the first born after World War II . Abe resigned as prime minister a year later due to ulcerative colitis and his party's recent election losses . After recovering, Abe staged an unexpected political comeback by defeating Shigeru Ishiba , the former defense minister , to become LDP president in 2012. Following
6435-438: The governments response; one lawmaker called Abe's economic program a fraud, with many journalists labeling the event as a data scandal. At the first CEFP meeting in January 2013, Abe declared that the Bank of Japan should follow a policy of monetary easing to achieve a target of 2 percent inflation. Abe maintained pressure on the Bank's governor, Masaaki Shirakawa , who was reluctant to set specific targets, into agreeing to
6534-433: The island, and his great-uncle Eisaku Satō was the last prime minister to visit Taiwan while in office. Abe expressed the need to strengthen political, security, and economic ties with Southeast Asian countries. Although the PRC is not within the Southeast Asian region, Japan has also sought its support. However, relations with the PRC and the ROC continue to be tarnished by the Senkaku Islands dispute and Abe's visits to
6633-418: The large Japanese businesses it was supposed to survey. The data was eventually corrected, and it was discovered that the faulty data presented Japanese economic statistics more favorably than the corrected data. The faulty data costed 19.7 million people about 53.7 billion yen in unpaid benefits, and costed the Japanese government 650 million yen to correct the error. Opposition politicians criticized
6732-459: The limit in narrowing down differences between Japan's security and the interpretation of our constitution". During his first period as prime minister, he upgraded the Japan Defense Agency to full ministry status . Like his predecessors, he supported the Japanese alliance with the United States. Abe supported the US-led war in Iraq . In the lead-up to the July election, Abe's Agriculture Minister Toshikatsu Matsuoka committed suicide following
6831-453: The long history of friendly bilateral relations between India and Japan . Abe's initiative was to establish the "fifth" bilateral link in an emerging scenario, whereby, the US–Australia, US–Japan, Japan–Australia, and the US–India links are supportive strategic alignments. A sixth link of India-Australia would be the logical corollary, formalized as a new quadrilateral of a strategic bulwark. The eventual expansion to include Vietnam, South Korea,
6930-470: The national consumption tax , although Abe distanced himself from this policy and sought to achieve much of his budget-balancing through spending cuts. Since 1997, as the bureau chief of the "Institute of Junior Assembly Members Who Think About the Outlook of Japan and History Education", Abe supported the controversial Japanese Society for History Textbook Reform and the New History Textbook . In March 2007, Abe, along with right-wing politicians, proposed
7029-418: The next diet session. On 16 November 2012, Prime Minister Noda announced the dissolution of the lower house and that the general election would be held on 16 December. Abe campaigned using the slogan "Nippon o Torimodosu" ( " Take back Japan " ), promising economic revival through monetary easing, higher public spending and the continued use of nuclear energy, and a tough line in territorial disputes. In
7128-591: The office of his supporters in Shimonoseki , in Yamaguchi Prefecture, were attacked with Molotov cocktails on numerous occasions. The perpetrators were several yakuza belonging to the Kudo-kai , a Kitakyushu -based designated bōryokudan syndicate. The reason for the attacks was believed to be that Abe's local aide refused to give cash to a Shimonoseki real estate broker in return for supporting
7227-506: The part of the prime minister (for example, Kiichi Miyazawa ). The Prime Minister also awards individuals in recognition of their accomplishments in sport, entertainment, and other fields. Some of the awards and commendations offered include the Prime Minister's Award, created by Eisaku Satō in 1966, and the People's Honour Award , created by Takeo Fukuda in 1977. Additionally, the PM also presents
7326-597: The person who is nominated by the National Diet (the parliament). The prime minister must retain the confidence of the House of Representatives to remain in office. The prime minister lives and works at the Naikaku Sōri Daijin Kantei (Prime Minister's Official Residence) in Nagatachō , Chiyoda , Tokyo , close to the National Diet Building . Sixty-five men have served as prime minister,
7425-400: The policy. In February, after Abe publicly speculated that the government could legislate to strip the bank of independence, Shirakawa announced he was leaving office prematurely before his term expired. Abe then appointed Haruhiko Kuroda as governor, who had previously advocated inflation targets, and who has pursued the government's policies of monetary easing. After the first meeting of
7524-427: The primary transport and the other serving as a backup with maintenance personnel on board. The aircraft are officially referred to as Japanese government exclusive aircraft ( 日本国政府専用機 , Nippon-koku seifu sen'yōki ) . Until the mid-1930s, the prime minister of Japan was normally granted a hereditary peerage ( kazoku ) prior to leaving office if he had not already been ennobled. Titles were usually bestowed in
7623-549: The prime ministership to prevent Japan becoming a "Tier Two Nation", declaring that "Japan is back". The Second Abe cabinet revived the Council on Economic and Fiscal Policy (CEFP) that had played a key role in formulating economic policy during the Koizumi cabinet, but had been abandoned by the 2009–2012 DPJ administrations. Abe declared in his January 2013 policy speech to the Diet that economic revival and escaping deflation
7722-418: The ranks of count , viscount or baron , depending on the relative accomplishments and status of the prime minister. The two highest ranks, marquess and prince , were only bestowed upon highly distinguished statesmen, and were not granted to a prime minister after 1928. The last prime minister who was a peer was Baron Kijūrō Shidehara , who served as Prime Minister from October 1945 to May 1946. The peerage
7821-457: The recession, Aso announced that the government would ask the Diet to pass a supplementary budget to fund a further stimulus package worth 2–3 trillion yen. There had been some division within the Abe cabinet between "fiscal hawks", such as Finance Minister Aso, who favored fiscal consolidation through spending cuts and tax increases, and deflationists, such as Abe himself, who argued in favor of
7920-458: The resignation of LDP president Sadakazu Tanigaki, Abe was re-elected as president of the party on 26 September 2012, coming in second out of five candidates in the first round of voting, but defeating former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba in a runoff vote by 108 votes to 89. Abe returned to the LDP leadership at a time of political turmoil, as the governing DPJ had lost its majority in the lower house due to party splits over nuclear policies and
8019-788: The senior second rank posthumously. Certain distinguished prime ministers have been posthumously raised to the first rank; the last such award was to Eisaku Sato in 1975. Since the 1920s, following their tenure in office, Prime ministers have typically been conferred with the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Paulownia Flowers (until 2003 a special higher class of the Order of the Rising Sun), depending on tenure and eminence. However, honours may be withheld due to misconduct or refusal on
8118-506: The special nature of the work of the head of government, the prime minister's titles vary depending on context, sometimes demonstrating his/her role. Since the inception of the cabinet system , the prime minister is known in Japanese as Naikaku Sōri-Daijin (内閣総理大臣) whenever he is referred to as the head of the Cabinet. However, this title is usually abbreviated to Sōri-Daijin (総理大臣). Other abbreviations include Sōri (総理), Shushō (首相) or even Saishō (宰相). The official English rendering
8217-528: The strength of my entire cabinet, I will implement bold monetary policy, flexible fiscal policy and a growth strategy that encourages private investment, and with these three policy pillars, achieve results." In February 2013, Abe gave an address at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C., in which he explained his economic and diplomatic objectives, and that he had returned to
8316-407: Was "the greatest and urgent issue" facing Japan. His economic strategy, referred to as Abenomics , consisted of the so-called "three arrows" (an allusion to an old Japanese story ) of policy. The first arrow was monetary expansion aimed at achieving a 2% inflation target, the second a flexible fiscal policy to act as an economic stimulus in the short term, then achieve a budget surplus, and the third
8415-523: Was Foreign Minister Tarō Asō, who had been one of Abe's competitors for the LDP presidency. In addition to the cabinet positions existing under Koizumi, Abe created five new "advisor" positions. He reshuffled his cabinet on 27 August 2007. Commentators noted that these changes seemed to be an effort by Abe to organize the Prime Minister's office into something more akin to the White House . The New York Times observed that his cabinet appeared to place
8514-519: Was a staunch conservative and associated with the Nippon Kaigi , which holds negationist views on Japanese history, including denying the role of government coercion in the recruitment of comfort women during World War II , a position which caused tensions particularly with South Korea. Under his premiership, Japan–South Korea relations further strained in 2019 over disputes about reparations. Earlier that same year, Abe's government initiated
8613-587: Was abolished when the Constitution of Japan came into effect in May 1947. Certain eminent prime ministers have been awarded the Order of the Chrysanthemum , typically in the degree of Grand Cordon. The highest honour in the Japanese honours system, the Collar of the Order of the Chrysanthemum, has only been conferred upon select prime ministers and eminent statesmen; the last such award to a living prime minister
8712-567: Was also credited with reinstating the Trans-Pacific Partnership with the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership . On 8 July 2022, Abe was assassinated while delivering a campaign speech in Nara two days before the 10 July upper house elections . The suspect, Tetsuya Yamagami , who was immediately arrested by Japanese police, confessed to targeting the former prime minister because of Abe's reported ties with
8811-561: Was appointed Secretary-General of the Liberal Democratic Party. Abe was a member of the Seiwa Seisaku Kenkyūkai , a faction in the Liberal Democratic Party . This faction is headed by former prime minister Yoshirō Mori. Junichiro Koizumi was a member of the Mori Faction, but left it, as is the custom when accepting a high party post. From 1986 to 1991, Abe's father, Shintaro, headed the same faction. In 2000, Abe's home and
8910-548: Was born into the prominent Satō–Kishi–Abe family in Tokyo as the grandson of Prime Minister Nobusuke Kishi . After graduating from Seikei University and briefly attending the University of Southern California , Abe was elected to the Japanese House of Representatives in the 1993 election . Abe was appointed Chief Cabinet Secretary by Prime Minister Koizumi in 2005 before replacing him as prime minister and LDP president
9009-507: Was born on 21 September 1954 to a prominent political family in Shinjuku , Tokyo. Although as a boy he aspired to become a filmmaker, Abe's family history led him upon a political path. His father Shintaro Abe served in the House of Representatives from 1958 to 1991, with stints as Chief Cabinet Secretary , Minister for International Trade and Industry , and Minister for Foreign Affairs . During World War II , Shintaro volunteered to be
9108-466: Was criticized by farm lobbies and some sections of the LDP. Economist Yoshizaki Tatsuhiko described the TPP as having the potential to act as the "linchpin of Abe's economic revitalization strategy" by making Japan more competitive through free trade. In February 2015 the Abe government struck a deal to limit the power of the JA-Zenchu body to supervise and audit Japan's agricultural co-operatives, in
9207-588: Was elected to the first district of Yamaguchi Prefecture [ ja ] in 1993 after his father's death in 1991, winning the most votes of the four Representatives elected in the SNTV multi-member district. In 1999, he became Director of the Social Affairs Division. He was Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary in the Yoshirō Mori and Junichiro Koizumi Cabinets from 2000 to 2003, after which he
9306-447: Was expected to affect economic growth in the quarter following the rise, Abe also announced a 5-trillion yen stimulus package that aimed to mitigate any effects on economic revival. After the increase in April, Japan fell into recession during the second and third quarters of 2014, leading to Abe delaying the second stage of the tax rise until April 2017 and calling a snap election ( see § 2014 general election ). In response to
9405-651: Was re-elected to his Yamaguchi 4th district seat in the 2009 election , when the Liberal Democratic Party lost power to the DPJ. On 15 October 2010, Abe delivered a speech in Washington DC to the Hudson Institute on US-Japan relations . Japan had recently been surpassed by China as the number two economy in the world, a position that it had held for the previous 40 years. Abe said: "It appears that China hopes to gain control not only over Taiwan, but also over
9504-526: Was respected among some politicians in the Republic of China (ROC, Taiwan), most notably those who are part of the Pan-Green Coalition seeking Taiwanese independence . Chen Shui-bian welcomed Abe's ministership. Part of Abe's appeal in Taiwan was historical; his grandfather Nobusuke Kishi was an anti-communist who supported Chiang Kai-shek 's government after the government retreated to
9603-421: Was the leader of a project team within the LDP that conducted a survey on "excessive sexual education and gender-free education". Among the items to which this team raised objections were anatomical dolls and other curricular materials "not taking into consideration the age of children", school policies banning traditional boys' and girls' festivals, and mixed-gender physical education . The team sought to provide
9702-525: Was then converted into the Official Residence, or Kōtei ( 公邸 ) . The Kōtei lies to the southwest of the Kantei, and is linked by a walkway. The prime minister of Japan travels in a Toyota Century . The Lexus LS 600h L , which served as the prime minister's official car from 2008 to 2019, became a spare/alternative vehicle used by the Prime Minister till present. For overseas air travel,
9801-454: Was to Saionji Kinmochi in 1928. More often, the Order of the Chrysanthemum has been a posthumous distinction; both the Collar and Grand Cordon of the order were last awarded posthumously to former prime minister Shinzo Abe in July 2022. After relinquishing office, the prime minister is normally accorded the second or senior third rank in the court order of precedence, and is usually raised to
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