Craig Mark

Opinion | Abe is Japan’s longest-serving PM. Is that the extent of his legacy?

The premier has broken a century-old record for political longevity – but despite domestic comebacks and foreign policy wins, a succession of scandals and his mixed results with the economy will live long in the memory

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Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Photo: EPA

Craig Mark

Published: 7:00am, 20 Nov 2019Updated: 7:03am, 20 Nov 2019

Shinzo Abe is now the longest-serving prime minister in Japanese history. On November 20, he surpassed the record of General Taro Katsura, who served for 2,886 days over three separate terms more than a century ago.

Abe’s time in office has been marked by successes in domestic politics and foreign policy – but his attempts to resuscitate Japan’s economy have had mixed results, and his administration is no stranger to scandal. So what has kept his position secure for so long, and how will his track record as premier be viewed once he steps down?

His first term in 2006-2007 was scandal-prone and shortened by illness. In a remarkable comeback, Abe resumed leadership of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in September 2012 and returned to government, winning the national election that December.

He called snap elections in 2014 and 2017 to take advantage of the perennial weakness and division among Japan’s opposition parties, who have consistently failed to offer any appealing policy alternatives. These victories entrenched his authority among the LDP factions, and ensured his re-election as party president in 2015 and 2018.