was a Japanese

Japanese people

The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...

 politician. Born into a family of brewers of soy sauce

Soy sauce

Soy sauce is a condiment produced by fermenting soybeans with Aspergillus oryzae or Aspergillus sojae molds, along with water and salt...

 and sake who were landlords in the area of Ōtsu District

Otsu District, Yamaguchi

Ōtsu was a district located in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan. As of 2003, the district had an estimated population of 18,761...

 (now part of the city of Nagato

Nagato, Yamaguchi

is a city located in Yamaguchi, Japan.The city was founded on March 31, 1954.Nagato consists of five smaller towns that were absorbed over the past several years. The towns are Fukawa, Senzaki, Yuya, Heki and Misumi...

) in Yamaguchi Prefecture

Yamaguchi Prefecture

is a prefecture of Japan in the Chūgoku region on Honshū island. The capital is the city of Yamaguchi, in the center of the prefecture. The largest city, however, is Shimonoseki.- History :...

, he graduated from Tokyo Imperial University, the predecessor of the University of Tokyo

University of Tokyo

, abbreviated as , is a major research university located in Tokyo, Japan. The University has 10 faculties with a total of around 30,000 students, 2,100 of whom are foreign. Its five campuses are in Hongō, Komaba, Kashiwa, Shirokane and Nakano. It is considered to be the most prestigious university...

. He was elected to the House of Representatives

House of Representatives of Japan

The is the lower house of the Diet of Japan. The House of Councillors of Japan is the upper house.The House of Representatives has 480 members, elected for a four-year term. Of these, 180 members are elected from 11 multi-member constituencies by a party-list system of proportional representation,...

, and enjoyed great popularity, earning the nickname "New Shōin" or "Shōwa Shōin" in honor of the earlier leader from Yamaguchi, Yoshida Shōin

Yoshida Shoin

Yoshida Shōin was one of the most distinguished intellectuals in the closing days of the Tokugawa shogunate...

. At the time of his death, he was preparing to run in the first postwar general election.

Abe's son Shintarō

Shintaro Abe

was a Japanese politician from Yamaguchi Prefecture.He was the eldest son of member of Parliament Kan Abe and son-in-law of Prime Minister Nobusuke Kishi. He was married to Yoko Kishi, daughter of Prime Minister Nobusuke Kishi. His second son, Shinzō Abe, became Prime Minister of Japan on September...

 became a successful politician, also representing Yamaguchi, and held posts in the Cabinet

Cabinet of Japan

The of Japan is the executive branch of the government of Japan. It consists of the Prime Minister and up to fourteen other members, called Ministers of State. The Prime Minister is designated by the Diet, and the remaining ministers are appointed and dismissed by the Prime Minister...

. Shintarō's son Shinzō

Shinzo Abe

was the 90th Prime Minister of Japan, elected by a special session of the National Diet on 26 September 2006. He was Japan's youngest post–World War II prime minister and the first born after the war. Abe served as prime minister for nearly twelve months, before resigning on 12 September 2007...

was the Prime Minister of Japan.