Japanese politician & Prime Minister (1954- )
That power is found in the people. I am able to overcome any kind of challenge so long as I am working together with the people.
SHINZO ABE
New Year's Reflection, Jan. 1, 2014
I will ensure that Japan keeps getting better--better this year than last year, and better next year than this year.
SHINZO ABE
interview, Japan Forward, January 5, 2017
It has been believed for a long time in Japan that things such as the constitution can never be changed. I say we should change our constitution now. The U.S. has amended its constitution six times, but Japan has done it zero times.
SHINZO ABE
Time Magazine, Apr. 28, 2014
To serve as prime minister while being too mindful of the approval rating is like serving as a prime minister on a roller coaster. What is important, I believe, is that I really act on promises that I make and leave results.
SHINZO ABE
Talk Asia, Apr. 30, 2007
I am a patriot. I would think there are no politicians who are not patriots. Since I am a politician, I often get criticized, as I try to exercise what I believe to be right. However, if you mind such criticism, I think you can't protect people's lives.
SHINZO ABE
Time Magazine, Apr. 28, 2014
While our responses to the problems facing us immediately are also important, we cannot forget to carve out the future of Japan ten or one hundred years into the future. In doing so, we must not resort to superficial measures. Instead, it is imperative to engage in true reforms that ascertain the state of society we seek to achieve.
SHINZO ABE
New Year's Reflection, Jan. 1, 2014
I want there to be great expectations for Japan.
SHINZO ABE
interview, Japan Forward, January 5, 2017
The territorial negotiations between Japan and Russia have been ongoing for seventy years. The negotiations stuck with historical chronology and legal justifications, and did not budge one inch. The Russians living in the northern territories are now in their third generation. They have their family graves there. And there are no Japanese living on those islands. We have no choice but to adopt a different negotiating approach than the one taken immediately after the islands were stolen from Japan. I will take a new approach, seeking solutions that keep the future of the four northern islands squarely in view while building up a relationship of trust between Russia and Japan.
SHINZO ABE
interview, Japan Forward, January 5, 2017
We are trying to urge North Korea to abandon their nuclear development program. To that end, the international community has increased its pressure upon North Korea. We would like to resort to diplomatic and peaceful means in resolving this situation and I think on this point, U.S. and Japan share the same views. However, we are not pursuing dialogue for the sake of dialogue. We must firmly and solidly stand upon the principle of action for action. That is the principle with which we would like to approach the situation.
SHINZO ABE
interview, CNBC, May 16, 2017
Maybe there is a possibility of relocating "headquarter" functions to local regions. Then the working people there will raise the birthrate and there will be better work-life balance. That will all lead into a virtuous cycle.
SHINZO ABE
interview with David Ignatius, Washington Post, March 26, 2015
I think what is meant by animal spirits is to be pro-active on all things that you do. For example, in the mind of management they will try to increase their revenue from sales, and they will try to increase their profits, and they will be positively investing in human resources which will be necessary in growing the company. That would be the animal spirits. I think, exactly, Japan is in the process of regaining this animal spirit.
SHINZO ABE
interview with David Ignatius, Washington Post, March 26, 2015
The government has a responsibility to maintain the public pension system, so that it will never become bankrupt, nor will the people who pay into it lose out. We must rebuild trust in the system so that the younger generation can feel reassured, too.
SHINZO ABE
speech to the 165th Session of the Diet, September 29, 2006
We are not interested in dialogue for the sake of dialogue.
SHINZO ABE
interview, CNBC, May 16, 2017
Thanks to the change in our law, it is now possible for us to make our case on social media, which is important given how difficult it is to get our message across through traditional media. Of course it's a two-way conversation. We need to respond to the messages we get as much as we need to send our own. If we include any wrong facts in our messages there will immediately be someone to fact-check us. I know that whenever I make a mistake on my Facebook account, there are always people who point it out.
SHINZO ABE
Huffington Post, May 9, 2013
I have to express sympathy from the bottom of my heart to those people who were taken as wartime comfort women. As a human being, I would like to express my sympathies, and also as prime minister of Japan I need to apologize to them. The 20th Century was a century in which human rights were infringed upon in numerous parts of the world, and Japan also bears responsibility in that regard. I believe that we have to look at our own history with humility and think about our responsibility.
SHINZO ABE
Chicago Tribune, Apr. 23, 2007
I try to exercise in nature, and I try to play golf once a month. The last time I played golf with my wife, however, she got better scores than me, which became an additional source of stress.
SHINZO ABE
Huffington Post, May 9, 2013
I think it is the responsibility of anyone involved in politics to always think of what Japan can do to contribute more to the peace and stability not just of Japan and the region but of the entire world.
SHINZO ABE
Chicago Tribune, Apr. 23, 2007
My basic notion regarding the matter of historical recognition is basically, it's a matter that should be left to the good hands of historians and experts.
SHINZO ABE
Washington Post, Feb. 20, 2013
The kind of society that Japan should aim at is a society in which the efforts of people are rewarded, a society in which there is no stratification into winners and losers, and a society in which ways of working, learning, and living are diverse and multi-tracked- in other words, a society of opportunity where everyone has a chance to challenge again. If there are people who sense they are facing inequality, it is the role of politics to shed light on them.
SHINZO ABE
speech to the 165th Session of the Diet, September 29, 2006
Unfortunately, the U.S. has declared withdrawal from the TPP. Since we have come thus far, we would like to capitalize upon the results of our long years of efforts. So I think Japan must now take on a leadership role and move the discussion forward.
SHINZO ABE
interview, CNBC, May 16, 2017