Former Prime Minister Akie Abe’s Wife Enjoys a Night Out with Her Japanese Herb Friends at the Covid-19 Disaster

On November 11, former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, 67, took over as chairman of the Seiwa-kai, reviving the Abe faction for the first time in 30 years since his father, Shintaro. With her husband as the leader of the largest faction of the ruling party and the Covid-19 disaster showing signs of being over, there is no way she can remain quiet.

Ahahaha!

A little after four o’clock in the evening of November 25, blessed with clear skies, the cheerful laughter of former Prime Minister Akie Abe’s wife, 59, echoed in front of the gate of Todoroki Fudoson (Setagaya Ward). Apparently, she was strolling through the “Todoroki Valley” where the Fudoson is located that day with more than 10 people of all ages, including blond-haired men and silver-haired women.

According to the Facebook page updated by Akie on the 26th, “Yesterday, we went to Todoroki Gorge for a study session on Japanese herbs. I learned a lot in the rich nature that I can’t believe is in Tokyo. We should not forget that humans are also part of nature. …… Japanese herbs include shiso, mitsuba, dokudami, and mugwort. Akie, who is well versed in organic farming and organic food, is also believed to be interested in Japanese herbs.

Among her Japanese herb friends, there was also an unexpected person. Mr. Hiroshige Hiramiya (39, former stage name: Hiroki Narimiya), a former actor who announced his retirement from the entertainment industry in December 2004 and is now involved in various activities such as designing.

He has recently been involved in environmental issues, such as producing a product development program to eliminate food loss. This may have led him to connect with Akie-san, who has long been enthusiastic about the SDGs.

After parting ways with Mr. Hiramiya at Todoroki Fudoson, Akie got into a waiting hired car and headed for Jiyugaoka (Meguro Ward). With about eight of her Japanese herb friends, she entered a restaurant that was known by those in the know as a “vegan specialty” restaurant. Akie must have made a reservation for a private party at this restaurant. There was a sign on the door of the restaurant that read, “The restaurant is full of customers with reservations.

It was around 9:00 p.m., about four hours after she entered the restaurant, when Akie finally came out. She got into a cab with two men and a woman, and after receiving a rousing send-off from her friends, she headed for Tomigaya (Shibuya Ward), where she lived.

As expected, Akie thought she was done for the day, but that was not the case. She made a U-turn in the vicinity of her house and pulled up in front of a luxury apartment building in a quiet residential area. Ms. Akie followed the man who had unlocked the auto-lock and went into the apartment to start drinking at home.

The drinking session lasted more than two hours, and it was around 11:00 p.m. when Akie finally made her way home. She walked through an upscale residential area, chatting happily with the woman she had been drinking with, and returned to her home where her husband was waiting for her. The woman who accompanied her bowed politely to Akie, and then stood upright until she was out of sight.

As is well known, November 25 is the period when the Tokyo metropolitan government is in the midst of implementing basic measures against the new coronavirus. While the Tokyo Metropolitan Government has requested cooperation from the public with a maximum of four people in the same group, this magazine confirmed that Akie’s “dinner at a vegan restaurant” was definitely attended by more than eight people.

Although the Covid-19 scourge is finally showing signs of being under control, the situation still does not allow for optimism, as a mutated Variant called “Omicron Variant” has been discovered in South Africa. This magazine contacted Shinzo Abe’s office to inquire about the reason for the large number of people at the dinner. However, no response was received by the deadline.

It seems that the office’s attitude of refusing to explain anything inconvenient has not changed at all.

From “FRIDAY” December 17, 2021 issue