Shinzo Abe was born in Nagato, Yamaguchi Province, on September 21, 1954.

Following his graduation from the Department of Political Science of the Faculty of Law at Seikei University in 1977, Abe studied politics at the University of Southern California. On his return to Japan, Abe joined Kobe Steel Ltd, where he worked until 1982.

He then served as executive assistant to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, private secretary to the chairperson of the LDP General Council, and then as private secretary to the LDP secretary-general.

In 1993, two years after his father's death, Shinzo Abe was elected to parliament as the representative of the Shimonoseki constituency, the seat his father held until his death in 1991.

Abe was appointed to the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee, and has also served as director of the LDP Social Affairs Division, where he focused on the pension and social security systems.

He also served as deputy chief cabinet secretary from 2000 to 2003 in the governments of Yoshiro Mori and Junichiro Koizumi.

On September 20, 2006, he comfortably won the ruling LDP's presidential poll, and was subsequently elected Japan's Prime Minister by parliament on September 26, becoming the youngest premier since World War II.

He has previously visited China twice in 1997 and 2001.

(China Daily 10/09/2006 page2)