Shinzo Abe

Shinzo Abe was born into a prominent Japanese political family in Tokyo, the grandson of Prime Minister Nobusuke Kishi and son of Foreign Minister Shintaro Abe. He studied political science at Seikei University and the University of Southern California before working at Kobe Steel and entering the Diet as a member of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in 1993.

Abe became Japan's youngest post-war Prime Minister in 2006 at age 52. Returning to power in 2012, he led Japan through eight transformative years. His trademark economic policy, "Abenomics"—consisting of the "three arrows" of monetary easing, fiscal stimulus, and structural reforms—revitalized Japanese markets and corporate governance. Internationally, Abe initiated the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) with the United States, India, and Australia, rescued the Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) after US withdrawal, and strengthened Japan's Self-Defense Forces. On July 8, 2022, while delivering a campaign speech in Nara, Abe was assassinated with a homemade firearm, shocking Japan and the international community.