Japan ‘needs Abe’: political turmoil sparks nostalgia for former prime minister

By Julian Ryall

Japan ‘needs Abe’: political turmoil sparks nostalgia for former prime minister

Three years after the assassination of Shinzo Abe, Japan’s longest-serving prime minister, his legacy continues to cast a long shadow over a struggling ruling party and an embattled successor, fuelling a wave of public nostalgia ahead of Sunday’s crucial upper house election.
Abe, remembered as a polarising yet dominant figure who shaped Japan’s modern conservative identity, was gunned down on July 8, 2022, while campaigning in the city of Nara.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba quietly observed…

Read More…