PRESS CONFERENCE
Japan post-Abe: The legacy of the slain former prime minister
Tobias Harris, Deputy Director, Asia Program, German Marshall Fund of the United States
13:00-14:00 Thursday, December 15, 2022
Language: The speech and Q & A will be in English.
A divisive figure throughout his lifetime, Shinzo Abe -- who was gunned down while on the Upper House election campaign trail earlier this year -- was undoubtedly one of the most influential Japanese political figures of the postwar period. A nationalist idealogue to some, and champion of global Japan to others, his death has left a vacuum in not only the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, but the nation's politics in general.
His biography The Iconoclast: Shinzo Abe and the New Japan (2020) is recognized as a definitive text on the highs and lows of the former prime minister's political career. Its author, Tobias Harris, deputy director and a senior fellow in the Asia Program at the German Marshall Fund of the United States, will visit the FCCJ to talk about the LDP heavyweight's legacy, the fallout from his death inside the party, and what can be expected from the nation's politics as we move into the new year.
How has Abe's death impacted the Kishida administration? What is the state of play for the intra party faction he used to head? Where are revelations regarding Abe's connections to the Unification Church likely to lead? The talk represents an excellent opportunity to pitch such questions to one of the leading experts on a political figure whose life and ideology continues to inspire controversy even after his death.
How to attend:
Please register at front@fccj.or.jp with your name, the name of your media outlet, and FCCJ membership number. Due to space restrictions attendance will be limited. Doors open 15 minutes before the event. Please sign in, giving your name and contact details at the reception, and have your temperature taken before proceeding.
How to watch online: https://www.youtube.com/c/FCCJchannel/live
Livestreaming of the press events will be available and video of this event will be uploaded to our FCCJ YouTube channel.
How to ask questions: https://forms.gle/pztmJWwgM6LAWQcY6
Members watching the event online can submit questions for the speakers in advance using this submission form.
TV crew: Please make a reservation at front@fccj.or.jp. Doors open for TV crews only at 30 minutes before the event.
Professional Activities Committee