Yōko Abe

Yōko Abe
安倍 洋子
Born	Yōko Kishi (1928-06-11)11 June 1928 Nakano, Tokyo, Japan
Died	4 February 2024(2024-02-04) (aged 95) Tokyo, Japan
Alma mater	Shirayuri Gakuen Senior High School  [ ja ]
Spouse	Shintaro Abe ​ ​ (m. 1951;died 1991)​
Children	Hironobu Shinzo Nobuo
Parents	Nobusuke Kishi (father) Yoshiko Kishi  [ ja ] (mother)
Relatives	Satō–Kishi–Abe family

Yōko Abe (安倍 洋子, Abe Yōko; née Kishi (岸); 11 June 1928 – 4 February 2024) was a Japanese calligrapher who was the mother of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the daughter of Prime Minister Nobusuke Kishi, the wife of Minister of Foreign Affairs Shintaro Abe, and a member of the Japanese Satō–Kishi–Abe family.

Biography

Born on 11 June 1928, ^[1] Yōko Abe was the eldest daughter of Nobusuke Kishi, the widow of Shintaro Abe, and the mother of Hironobu, Shinzo Abe, and Nobuo Kishi. ^[2]

Known for her calligraphy, ^[3] she was considered to be the "Godmother" of the Kishi-Abe family (a Japanese political family for three generations), ^[4] and had long been the leader of the wives of members of Seiwa Seisaku Kenkyūkai. ^[5] She was called the "Godmother of the World of Politics" because she had many followers in politics. ^[6]

Yōko Abe died on 4 February 2024, at the age of 95. ^[7]

Works

• 『わたしの安倍晋太郎：岸信介の娘として』（ネスコ、1992年）

Honors

• Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus

References

1. 首相動静・2016年6月11日 時事通信　「母親の洋子さんの米寿祝いパーティ」の記述あり
2. "［人物略歴］安倍洋子氏＜故・安倍晋太郎氏の妻＞". 毎日新聞・東京朝刊. 3 April 1994. p. 4. - 毎索にて閲覧
3. 桐山正寿 (17 March 2009). "矢萩春恵さん：文化庁長官表彰を350人が祝う 長年の書業をたたえ". 毎日新聞・東京夕刊. p. 4. 会場には書家、門人の元首相、安倍晋三さんの母・安倍洋子さんをはじめ、… - 毎索にて閲覧
4. "絶頂の一族 プリンス・安倍晋三と六人の「ファミリー」". 講談社. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
5. "安倍新総裁の母、78歳の高齢でも息子に演説法指導". 中央日報日本語版. 22 September 2006. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
6. "安倍首相の母・洋子さん モンゴルで対北朝鮮交渉の驚愕情報". NEWSポストセブン/小学館. 4 August 2014. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
7. "安倍元総理の母、安倍洋子さんが死去". FNN. 4 February 2024. Retrieved 4 February 2024.