This article presents Canon Chairman and CEO Fujio Mitarai’s detailed reflections on former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, based on an interview published in the Sankei Shimbun on August 20, 2022. It highlights Abe’s achievements in revitalizing Japan’s economy through Abenomics, strengthening national employment, and raising Japan’s global presence through groundbreaking diplomacy. The commentary also addresses the role of media-driven opinion manipulation and emphasizes the profound national loss caused by Abe’s assassination during a time of global instability.

2022/8/21
The following is from the interview with Fujio Mitarai, Chairman and CEO of Canon, published in the Sankei Shimbun’s serial column “Challenges of Loss: Abe Former Prime Minister and Japan” on August 20.
Boldface emphasis outside the headline and notes marked with * are mine.

Japan has lost the driving force for its revival.
Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe had a grand dream of revising the Constitution, making Japan a country capable of defending itself, and creating a nation where its people could possess confidence and pride.
I shared many of his views, and since we had exchanged opinions numerous times about Japan’s future, the sudden tragic news made me feel as though everything went dark before my eyes.
When I assumed the position of Chairman of Keidanren in May of 2006, the Japanese economy was stagnant due to prolonged deflation.
Keidanren therefore formulated policies and created a long-term plan called “Japan, a Nation of Hope.”
When Mr. Abe became Prime Minister in September, he also put forth the slogan “A Beautiful Country, Japan,” and I remember being deeply moved by the vision of Japan’s future depicted in it.
Particularly during the roughly five years between the end of his first Cabinet and the beginning of his second, we met frequently in both public and private settings, including on the golf course, and he appeared to have studied extensively during that period—economic policy, domestic and international politics, and history.
Based on that study, he steadily implemented policies from his second administration onward.
One major achievement from the perspective of the business world was the economic policy known as “Abenomics,” which successfully broke the stagnation through unprecedented monetary easing and other measures.
The Nikkei Stock Average, which had at times fallen below 10,000 yen, surpassed 20,000 yen, and the abnormal yen appreciation that once saw the exchange rate at seventy-something yen to the dollar was corrected.
The annual average unemployment rate reached 2.4% in 2018, the lowest level in 26 years, and in 2016 the effective job-opening ratio exceeded one in every prefecture for the first time, showing that the Japanese economy had recovered.
There may be both praise and criticism of the Abe administration, but the fact that it won six consecutive national elections—including the one in which it regained power—despite twice raising the consumption tax, is undeniable proof of the absolute trust the public placed in him.
Raising Japan’s presence in international politics was also an outstanding achievement.
Postwar Japanese diplomacy had placed its primary focus on relations with the United States, but Mr. Abe advocated “diplomacy that takes a panoramic perspective of the world map,” and conducted extensive exchanges with countries large and small.
At the same time, he earned the trust of former U.S. President Donald Trump to the extent of becoming his “advisor,” further strengthening the Japan-U.S. relationship.
In other words, he became a global leader through what could be called “diplomacy of a different dimension.”
When accompanying him as Keidanren on visits to Middle Eastern and Asian nations, I saw firsthand how passionately he conveyed his desire for Japan to develop together with each nation, and how warmly he was welcomed.
Unexpected events occur frequently in diplomacy, yet he always remained calm and composed with a gentle smile.
I believe this passion and wonderful character were the driving forces that elevated Japan to its current standing.

It is an unquestionable fact that Mr. Mitarai’s assessment of Shinzo Abe is precise and accurate.
Nevertheless, those whose backgrounds are dubious and who hold nothing but ideas aimed at disparaging Japan—particularly those who dominate NHK’s news division—continued throughout Abe’s tenure to insert, at the very top of their frequent opinion polls, ridiculous questions such as “The Prime Minister’s personality is untrustworthy,” thereby persistently guiding public sentiment toward anti-Abe views.
This despicable conduct was carried out ceaselessly by NHK’s news programs, which Tetsuya Yamagami must have watched countless times.
In other words, as I have long argued, NHK—alongside the Asahi Shimbun—is the true culprit behind the assassination of Mr. Abe.

Japan still faces numerous challenges: constitutional revision, investment in advanced technologies to revitalize the economy, and the digitalization of government administration.
With Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, both politics and the economy have fallen into deep confusion, and global uncertainty continues to rise.
That Japan should lose Mr. Abe—a global leader—at such a time is a national tragedy.
(Interviewer: Kiyoshi Takaku)