Shinzo Abe news stories on Newser

Looking for a Real Recession? Try Japan

Wesley Oliver — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 15:18:38 CST

While economists squabble over a possible US recession, Japan has quietly slipped into one. The country’s postwar riches have all but vanished, the Washington Post reports, as its GDP tumbles from fourth to twentieth among the world’s countries and its share of the world’s economy dips from 18% in 1994...

Fukuda Steps In as Japan's PM

Katherine Thompson — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 05:11:41 CDT

Lawmaker Yasuo Fukuda, the 71-year-old son of a former Japanese prime minister, has now taken the top job himself after winning a parliamentary election. The new leader of the dominant Liberal Democratic Party bagged 338 votes in the lower house, 100 votes more than the majority he needed, the BBC...

Fukuda to Be Japan's Next Prime Minister

Katherine Thompson — Sun, 23 Sep 2007 06:40:00 CDT

Moderate lawmaker Yasuo Fukuda has beaten out hawkish former foreign minister Taro Aso in a ruling party vote for the leader of Japan's Liberal Democratic Party, paving the way for his appointment as prime minister. Former PM Shinzo Abe vacated the post following a series of mistakes and scandals. Fukuda,...

New Japanese PM Likely to Be Less US-Centric

Jason Farago — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 09:30:49 CDT

Japan's Liberal Democratic Party is set to choose its replacement for Shinzo Abe, who resigned suddenly last week, in voting Sunday. The winner will become prime minister Tuesday. Although early prognoses hyped hawk Taro Aso as the favorite, his close association with the outgoing PM has hurt him. Victory is...

Japanese PM Hospitalized as Party Scrambles for Successor

Sam Gale Rosen — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 08:37:24 CDT

Japanese PM Shinzo Abe is in a Tokyo hospital battling stress and exhaustion a day after announcing his resignation. Abe is expected to be hospitalized for at least three or four days, while his scandal-plagued party fields a replacement and calls for a general election escalate. In his surprise announcement,...

Same Party, New Face: Aso Likely to Step in as Japanese PM

Nick McMaster — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 03:32:07 CDT

Fellow party member and Foreign Minister Taro Aso is emerging as the favored successor of resigned Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. If elected, Aso would face an economy saddled with the world's largest public debt, the stagnation of his own Liberal Democratic Party and the enmity of the main opposition...

Nikkei Falls After Abe Steps Down

Sam Gale Rosen — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 07:21:02 CDT

A jump in the price of copper boosted mining and energy stocks in Asia, but Japan's Nikkei index fell nonetheless after news hit of PM Shinzo Abe's resignation. Some investors say the change will be good for Japanese markets in the longer term, however. "Abe was an ineffective prime minister...

Japanese Prime Minister Resigns

Colleen Barry — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 01:48:41 CDT

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has announced he'll resign today in the wake of several cabinet-level scandals and the suicide of a top official that has destroyed public confidence in his administration. After taking power just last year, Abe's nationalist Liberal Democratic Party lost the upper house of parliament to...

Japanese PM Backtracks From Hints He'll Quit

Kevin Spak — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 19:14:53 CDT

Shinzo Abe has backed off his threat to quit if Japan yanks aid to US-led troops in Afghanistan. Many clamored for the beleaguered PM to step down after his party’s defeat in July elections, and Abe hinted yesterday that he'd walk away—a possible indication that he was looking for...