Background
Abe was born in Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan, to a samurai of the Kanazawa Clan.
Abe was born in Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan, to a samurai of the Kanazawa Clan.
His military training came by ways of his studies at the Military Academy and Army War College.
After several staff posts, he became the vice war minister in 1928, then led Japanese troops on Taiwan. In 1936, he retired from the Japanese Army and entered politics. On 30 Aug 1939, he was appointed Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, and remained in that role until he resigned in Jan 1940 with his fellow members of the cabinet due to political pressure. He joined the House of Peers of the Japanese Diet (parliament) in 1942, and was the president of the Imperial Rule Assistance Political Association. Between 1944 and 1945, he was the governor general of Korea.
