How did journalist Soichiro Tahara (86), who had met Prime Minister Shinzo Abe once or twice a year in Sashi, heard of his sudden resignation?

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I feel inevitable to quit smoking because my body is very bad. But I am not satisfied with leaving what I had to do. For the crown problem, the special measures law should be revised. State and local governments are disjointed and the state is not responsible. Although it should be reviewed, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Social Welfare could not do so due to opposition. I wanted you to say “do it” at the end.

When I met last year, he said that the Status Agreement between the United States and Japan should be reviewed. 70% of US military bases are in Okinawa, 0.6% of the country. Germany and Italy have also been revised, but only Japan remains uneven. Former President Obama said, “I am going to stop the police officers of the world.” “Why should the Marines be in Futenma? It’s okay in Hawaii,” he said. Abe said, “I will.” I wanted you to talk to Trump. If it could be revised, it would have become a legacy.

The opposition party was too weak to win all six national elections. The Liberal Democratic Party also praised Abe, making him the main one. That led to a tension-free policy. Moritomo ・ Kakei problem, cherry blossom viewing party and former PLD, I said no. Nobody says anything. I was relieved and turned into a scandal. The biggest negative side.

Although he said “legacy is judged by history,” Abenomics ultimately increased debt alone without expanding domestic demand. The “feeling of doing” has stopped at the crown. The only thing that could be said to be a legacy is the approval of the exercise of collective self-defense, which makes the United States-Japan alliance bilateral, as the Cold War ends and the United States loses its responsibility to protect Japan.

When I met him in April of this year, he asked me, “Are you going to use Kishida as his successor?” Instead, Abe asked, “What do you think of Mr. Kishida?” “I like people, I think it’s easy to use, but it’s sticky,” he nodded. Next is Mr. Kan. (Interviewer: Fumiaki Nakajima)