was a

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

in Japan's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) who served as state minister for Hokkaido and Okinawa development agencies. Abe was not related to former

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

Shinzo Abe, whose surname is pronounced identically but written using different characters (安倍).

Career

Abe was first elected to the lower house in 1969. He was state minister for Okinawa and Hokkaido development agencies in 1989 in the cabinet of

Toshiki Kaifu was a Japanese politician who served as the 77th Prime Minister of Japan from 1989 to 1991. Early life and education Kaifu was born on 2 January 1931, in Nagoya City, the eldest of six brothers. His family's business Nakamura Photo Studio wa ...

. Abe served as secretary general and treasurer of Kiichi Miyazawa's faction in the LDP until December 1991. Abe resigned from his post after newspaper reports of the alleged bribes. Abe retired from politics in 1993.

Bribery scandal

Abe was arrested due to his involvement in a bribery scandal on 13 January 1992. In 1994, he was sentenced by the Tokyo District Court to three years in prison. However, the verdict was rejected by the Tokyo High Court and the Supreme Court.

Death

Fumio Abe died of heart failure in

Hakodate is a city and port located in Oshima Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. It is the capital city of Oshima Subprefecture. As of July 31, 2011, the city has an estimated population of 279,851 with 143,221 households, and a population density of 412.8 ...

Hokkaido is Japan's second largest island and comprises the largest and northernmost prefecture, making up its own region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō from Honshu; the two islands are connected by the undersea railway Seikan Tunnel. The la ...

, on 6 December 2006. He was 84.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Abe, Fumio 20th-century Japanese politicians 1922 births 2006 deaths Government ministers of Japan Liberal Democratic Party (Japan) politicians