Akie Abe - The wife who has been with Mr. Shinzo Abe for 35 years, the influence not everyone can have

Throughout her political life, the person who has always stood shoulder to shoulder with former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is a talented wife with a firm stance.

In the last moment of her life, Akie Abe persisted with her husband to fight for her life. Unfortunately miracles did not happen to them.

35 years together, even though the two have no children, they still maintain a strong relationship, more solid than the relationship between husband and wife.

A day after former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe died from assassination, his wife Akie Abe accompanied the hearse to bring his body back to Tokyo.

Before that, as soon as she heard that her husband was shot, Akie immediately went to Nara Medical University hospital, where doctors tried to save Mr. Abe's life but failed.

Since entering Japanese politics in the 90s of the last century until resigning as prime minister for health reasons in 2020, Mr. Shinzo Abe has always been accompanied by his wife, supporting his leadership career. mine.

Influential former first lady

Mrs. Akie Abe's young name is Akie Matsuzaki, born in 1962, 8 years younger than her husband. She is the daughter of Mr. Akio Matsuzaki - former President of Morinaga Chocolate Company, one of Japan's most famous confectionery companies. Raised in a wealthy family, Ms. Abe is well-educated and holds a master's degree in social design studies from Rikkyo University.

Born into an upper-class family, the former first lady of Japan attended prestigious girls' schools throughout her childhood. After graduating from Sacred Heart University in Tokyo, she worked for a media company and became a radio DJ in Shimonoseki City (Yamaguchi Prefecture) under the nickname Akky.

Around this time, she was introduced by her uncle to Mr. Shinzo Abe, then an aide who was starting a political career and had a bright future.

"On our first date, we went out for dinner. The first impression of my husband was that he was funny, mature and knowledgeable," Abe's wife once shared with the Japan Times. In 1987, the two got married.

During 35 years of marriage, Mrs. Akie has become a supporter and effective supporter of her husband's political path while implementing her own projects and activities.

In 2011, she obtained a master's degree in Social Research and Design from Rikkyo University.

In 2012, as Mr. Abe was preparing to return to politics after several years of health problems, Akie opened an izakaya - a type of casual Japanese bar serving alcoholic beverages and snacks. This self-starting business has faced objections from the mother-in-law.

During Shinzo Abe's tenure as prime minister of Japan, Ms. Akie was considered a first lady with open and frank views, sometimes opposing her husband's opinions.

Mr. Abe's wife also frequently talks about the importance of creating more opportunities for women in Japan.

"This country is stereotypical of women. I want to get rid of the stereotype of a politician's wife who has to behave in the same way and hope that what I do will encourage people," she said.

In 2018, Foreign Policy magazine once said of her: "Mrs Akie frequently talks about the paradox that Japanese women are among the most educated in the world, yet often struggle to get ahead in the world. career ladder".

Ms. Abe is not like traditional Japanese wives: living in peace and submissive to her husband. Instead, she participates in diplomatic events and decorates her official residence, while expressing her progressive views.

"I want to receive and convey those views to my husband and his subordinates. They are almost like an opposition party," Ms. Abe told Bloomberg in 2016.

"When he was criticized by the opposition parties every day, if I went home and started nagging again, he might tell me to stop. As a wife, there were times when I didn't want to criticize him. too much. Other times, I really feel like I have to tell him something," Ms. Abe revealed.

However, Ms. Abe said she tries to convey important ideas to her husband in a soft way and chooses the right time.

Don't be afraid to show affection

Ms. Abe did not hesitate to show affection for her husband - a rare occurrence among political couples of the time.

The couple have been together for more than 30 years and often share photos of attending events on their personal social media accounts.

One of the last photos the couple took together, which Abe shared on his Twitter account last month, shows the couple celebrating Abe's mother's 94th birthday with other family members.

In a video posted on Instagram in May 2019, Mr. Abe installed a wooden knocker in the shape of a beaver - a gift from Canada - for Ms. Abe, and his wife excitedly tried it.

For a long time, Ms. Abe's Instagram account was the only one of the three that the former prime minister followed.

Abe is also the first wife of a Japanese prime minister to actively use social media, with more than 152,000 followers on Facebook and more than 78,000 on Instagram.

The pressure of not having children

On social media, Mr. Abe's wife updates information quite often, from her daily activities to her daily life, alongside her politician husband.

The two are considered to have a happy married life, often appearing hand in hand in public. However, the couple also face a lot of pressure because they do not have children together, although Mr. Shinzo Abe always encourages Japanese people to have more children, when the aging population in this country is increasingly worrying.

It is this contrast that makes both the media and the people question and even criticize the fact that Mr. Abe does not have an heir. In an interview with Bungei Shunju magazine in 2006, Ms. Akie candidly shared the problem that she and her husband faced.

In the early years of their marriage, Mr. Abe's wife sought treatment for dysmenorrhea, but was unsuccessful. As time passed, pregnancy became more and more difficult for her due to her age and health.

Although her husband suggested adoption, Akie refused because she was not confident that she could raise the child properly.

"Adoption may be common in the United States, but it is very rare in Japan. If it is, Japanese people also do it within relatives. Over time, the couple came to accept that we weren't blessed to have children. children. I think it's all fate," she said.

Of course, this creates great pressure on the wife, including from voters who support Mr. Abe.

"Being the bride of a family with a tradition of leadership is a lot of pressure. This pressure increases as I get older, and my husband is responsible for the country. Many times, I encourage myself. that it is my destiny to contribute more to society than to take care of my children," Akie said.

Cựu Thủ tướng Shinzo Abe qua đời, vì sao vụ ám sát 'sẽ thay đổi Nhật Bản mãi mãi'? Hoàng Anh22:11:07 08/07/2022Tại cuộc họp báo chiều ngày 8/7, lãnh đạo Đại học Y Nara xác nhận cựu Thủ tướng Nhật Bản Abe Shinzo đã qua đời, sau khi ông bị tấn công bằng súng vào buổi sáng cùng ngày