Former prime minister of Japan Shinzo Abe was assassinated last week. He was a leader of the country’s ultra-conservative movement and one of Japan’s most powerful political figures. Some have even referred to him as “Trump before Trump.”

Today, Thursday host Allen Ruff gets into the backstory behind Shinzo Abe’s political career and influence with investigative journalist Tim Shorrock, a longtime commentator on U.S. foreign policy and East Asian politics.

Cover photo: Rodrigo Duterte and Shinzo Abe, May 2019, licensed under the Government of Japan Standard Terms of Use (Ver.2.0)

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