Shinzo Abe, who was shot and killed in a brazen daylight attack today, will be remembered as a giant of Japanese politics who left a remarkable legacy
Mr Abe was campaigning in the city of Nara when a man shot him in the chest and neck outside a train station about 11:30am local time.
A hugely influential figure in Japanese politics, Mr Abe was the father of "Abenomics", one of the founding members of the Quad, and brought the Olympics to Tokyo.
But the 67-year-old faced criticism from neighbouring countries over his less-apologetic stance towards Japan's World War II actions and, more recently, his approach to tackling COVID-19.
Mr Abe, Japan's longest-serving prime minister, resigned in August 2020 over an illness that had previously disrupted his political career.
Who was Shinzo Abe?
Mr Abe, a conservative politician, hailed from a wealthy political family. He was the son of former foreign minister Shintaro Abe and grandson of former Prime Minister Nobusuke Kishi.
He was elected to Japan's parliament in 1993 and became prime minister for the first time in 2006, making him Japan's youngest post-war leader, at 52 years of age.
However, he quit in 2007 because of an illness called ulcerative colitis. His year in office was plagued by political scandals, voter outrage at lost pension records and an election drubbing for his ruling party.
"What worries me most now is that because of my resigning, the conservative ideals that the Abe administration raised will fade," Mr Abe subsequently wrote in the magazine Bungei Shunju.
In 2012, however, he made a return to the top job, pledging to revive a stagnant economy, loosen the limits of a post-World War II pacifist constitution and restore traditional values.
In November 2019, Mr Abe became Japan's longest-serving prime minister.
What did he do as prime minister?
Shinzo Abe launched his famous "Abenomics" strategy to beat deflation and revive economic growth, along with structural reform to cope with a fast-ageing, shrinking population.
He tried to boost the country's dwindling birthrate by making workplaces more family friendly.
Mr Abe was also one of the founders of the Quad — a partnership of four countries, including Australia, Japan, the United States and India.
He formalised the loose partnership in 2007, but it fell dormant for nearly a decade, particularly because of concerns from Australia that it would irritate China.
Mr Abe played an instrumental role in bringing the 2020 Olympic Games to Tokyo and appeared as Nintendo game character Mario during the Olympic handover.
And, from early in his career, he was renowned for his tough stance toward North Korea in a feud over Japanese citizens kidnapped by Pyongyang decades ago.
Abe legacy not without controversy
Mr Abe pursued a hard line with South Korea over unresolved wartime disputes and continued to float plans to revise Japan's pacifist constitution.
He also adopted a less-apologetic stance towards Japan's World War II actions, saying future generations should not have to keep apologising for the mistakes of the past.
Mr Abe made a controversial visit to Tokyo's Yasukuni shrine in 2013, infuriating China and South Korea.
Public support weakened for Mr Abe in 2020 because of his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and a series of scandals, including the arrest of his former justice minister.
He was slow to close Japan's borders and enforce a state of emergency at the start of the outbreak, but managed to keep death rates below many other developed countries.
Political career cut short by illness
Mr Abe resigned as prime minister in August 2020 citing a flare up of his ulcerative colitis.
"I have decided that I will step down as prime minister, with the belief that I cannot continue being prime minister if I do not have the confidence that I can carry out the job entrusted to me by the people," Mr Abe told a news conference.
Ulcerative colitis causes inflammation and sometimes polyps in the bowels.
People with the condition can have a normal life expectancy but serious cases can involve life-threatening complications.
Mr Abe said his health problem was under control until early 2020 and was found to have relapsed in June when he had an annual check-up.
He required a new treatment that involved IV injections.
ABC/wires
