Who Is Akie Abe? All About the Wife Of Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe

Former Prime Minister of Japan Shinzo Abe was reportedly shot and injured while campaigning in southern Japan on the morning of July 8. According to Japanese broadcaster NHK, Abe was rushed to the hospital after he collapsed on the street. He then died in the hospital.

NHK reported that Shinzo Abe suffered from heart failure after apparently being shot during a campaign speech. The footage showed Abe collapsing on the ground as security guards ran to him and the reporter on-site allegedly heard a gunshot. Police have arrested the suspected shooter who attacked Abe, who is currently being questioned.

Abe is known to be Japan’s longest-serving Prime Minister. A leader of Japan's Liberal Democratic Party, her served as the country PM 2006 to 2007 and then again between 2012 to 2020.

As per recent reports, Shinzo Abe passed away in a hospital after he was shot. Reportedly Abe was wounded on the side of his neck and left clavicle which made it difficult for the doctors to treat him. An official has stated to the media that Abe reached hospital with cardiac arrest when he was airlifted to hospital. The 41 year old man who allegedly shot Abe has been arrested by the police. The accused was identified as Tetsuya Yamagami. He reportedly told the police that he was dissatisfied with Abe so he wanted to kill him. People from all over the world expressed shock on the sudden death of former Japan PM.

Who Is Akie Abe? All we know about Shinzo Abe's wife:

• Shizo Abe's wife Akie is known to have worked as a radio DJ.
• Her father is the former president of one of Japan’s largest confectionery companies, Morinaga & Co.
• She was a student at Sacred Heart School in Tokyo and graduated from Sacred Heart Professional Training College.
• Abe then worked for Dentsu- a Japanese international advertising and public relations company. It is the largest advertising agency in Japan and the fifth largest internationally.
• In 1987, she got married to Shinzo Abe and in the 1990s she began working as a radio host in her husband’s hometown, Shimonoseki. She became popular in the broadcast area and is also known to her listeners as Akky.
• After Abe’s husband completed his first run as prime minister, she opened an izakaya, a Japanese bar that serves alcohol and snacks.
• In 2011, Abe received a master’s degree from Rikkyo University in Social Design Studies.
• Akie Abe is known for being a supporter of the LGBTQIA+ community and in 2014 attended a gay pride parade in Tokyo to show her support for the community.
• The couple has no children and is known to have undergone fertility treatments for the same.
• Since a plummeting birthrate and ageing population is a big concern in Japan, Abe and her husband too have faced the pressure to have children.
• "Of course, as the wife of a politician, I was under enormous pressure, including from his constituency," she said in an interview.
• The further revealed that her husband had suggested adoption as a method to embrace parenthood, but she was not onboard with the idea. "I could not accept this and was not confident about bringing up an adoptee properly, so it did not happen"

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