Photos of Former Prime Minister Abe’s 67 Years of Life, From an Ordinary Guy to Prime Minister

Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was killed by a bullet.

At around 11:30 a.m. on July 8, he was shot from behind by Tetsuya Yamagami, an unemployed suspect living in the prefecture, at a rotary near Yamato Saidaiji Station on the Kintetsu Line in Nara Prefecture, where he had rushed to give a speech in support of the House of Councillors election. Despite the medical staffs’ continued efforts, he was pronounced dead at the hospital where he was taken later that evening. He was shot twice in the throat area and his heart was severely damaged. The cause of death is believed to be exsanguination.

The vehicle carrying the body of former Prime Minister Abe arrived at his home in Shibuya Ward before 3:00 p.m. on July 9. The wake is scheduled to be held on the 11th, with the House of Councillors election to follow, and the funeral on the 12th.

Former Prime Minister Abe lost his life in an unprecedented act of violence. Take a look back at the footsteps of the former Prime Minister who served for 3,188 days, the longest in the history of constitutional government of Japan.

Born into a prestigious family, Abe’s father was former Foreign Minister Shintaro Abe and his grandfather was former Prime Minister Nobusuke Kishi. After entering Seikei Elementary School, he remained at Seikei until university. One of his classmates from junior high school told us in a past interview with this magazine, “Abe-kun is a just a normal guy.”

Abe is an ordinary person. He is not an honor student, but he is not an inferior student either. It doesn’t mean that he can’t study or do sports. But he was always somehow in the middle of everyone. That’s how I felt.”

On the other hand, his high school friends remembered him as the heir to a political family.

“He was the head of the local fishery cooperative. At that time, the head of the local fishery association came all the way to the guest house to greet us, but he was undaunted and responded properly, saying, ‘My father is always indebted to you.'”

In 1987, he married Mrs. Akie, then 25 years old. In 1991, he was elected for the first time to the House of Representatives in a general election, and in ‛06 he became the youngest postwar prime minister at the age of 52.

In addition to photos from his student days, this magazine witnessed him running in the morning surrounded by SPs, enjoying golf, and celebrating his mother Yoko’s birthday.

We look back on the 67 years that former Prime Minister Abe spent in his life with these treasured photos.