The Prime Minister of Japan, Shinzo Abe, marked his 2,887 days as Japan's PM. (Image via Euronews)

Abe breaks the record as the longest PM in Japan

Alfonsus Adi Putra
Politics & Economic
News Flash Japan
Nov 20, 2019
1638
On Wednesday, the Prime Minister of Japan, Shinzo Abe, officially, legitimately, broke the record as the longest PM of Japan, for 2887 days in office. Abe overtook once the longest PM in Japan, Taro Katsura, who became the PM of Japan for 2886 days in the early 1900s.

It has been seven years since Abe became the PM of Japan in December 2012. Previously, Abe took the august duty for a year in 2006 at 52 years old, the youngest Japanese PM in the post-WWII era. However, he only sat on the PM seat for a year until 2007. Due to the series of resignations of his ministers and his health problems, he resigned from the office.

Combining those periods, Abe’s days totaled to 2,887 days. If Abe keeps his stay consecutively as PM of Japan until August 2020, he will overtake Eisaku Sato who was in office for 2,798 consecutive days from 1964 to 1972.

Returning to power, Abe promised to reform Japan’s pacifist constitution with stronger military power and economic revitalization. Therefore, Abe passed the plan for Japan to allow collective self-defense. Nevertheless, Abe still got a long way to go to fulfill his objectives. Especially, due to his opponents who went against the revised constitution supposedly running into effect in 2020.

Abe is also facing tough times when it comes to the negotiation between Japan and Russia about the territorial dispute of four Russian-held islands in Japan’s northern territory is stalled. It is one of Abe’s promise to put an end to the territorial dispute with Russia.

The Japanese PM also set a goal to repatriate the Japanese abducted by North Korea (N. Korea) between the 1970s and 1980s, one of his biggest agendas yet to accomplish.

As the President of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), Abe led his parties to win six national elections. These wins were due to the fragmented opposition and the failure of the Democratic Party of Japan in 2009 – 2012.

However, recently, two ministers have resigned over the allegations of election law violations. Controversies also befell Abe, the allegations that Abe might have been involved in cherry blossom viewing party scandal and subsidizing backers’ attendance.

While Abe has explained and denied the wrongdoings, the poll noted that 68 percent of the Japanese people did not buy it. Fortunately for Abe, his election rating remained stagnant at 44 percent.

Source: https://bit.ly/2CVYTeN

Politics , Government , PM , Asia , Japan , Shinzo-Abe