Shinzo Abe, then-Prime Minister of Japan, seen with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at New Delhi, on December 12, 2015. (Express Photo by Renuka Puri.)
Shinzo Abe comes from a political family. His grandfather Nobusuke Kishi was PM (1957-60), then his father Shintaro Abe was Foreign Minister (1982-86). He later became Japan’s longest-serving PM by consecutive days in office, overtaking the record of Eisaku Sato, his great-uncle, who served 2,798 days during 1964-72. Abe had first become the country’s PM in 2006, but resigned in 2007 due to illness. His second stint as PM began in 2012.
In his first stint in 2006-07, Abe visited India and addressed Parliament. During his second stint, he visited India thrice (January 2014, December 2015, September 2017) — the most visits by any Japanese PM.
He was the first Japanese PM to be Chief Guest at the Republic Day parade in 2014. This reflected his commitment towards an India relationship — he was being hosted by a government that would be facing elections in May 2014. As Japan’s leader, he was wooed both by the UPA under Dr Manmohan Singh and the NDA under Narendra Modi.
