Yōko Abe (安倍 洋子, Abe Yōko, née Kishi (岸); 11 June 1928 – 4 February 2024) was a Japanese calligrapher who was the mother of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the daughter of Prime Minister Nobusuke Kishi, the wife of Minister of Foreign Affairs Shintaro Abe, and a member of the Japanese Satō–Kishi–Abe family.
Born on 11 June 1928,[1] Yōko Abe was the eldest daughter of Nobusuke Kishi, the widow of Shintaro Abe, and the mother of Hironobu, Shinzo Abe, and Nobuo Kishi.
[2] Known for her calligraphy,[3] she was considered to be the "Godmother" of the Kishi-Abe family (a Japanese political family for three generations),[4] and had long been the leader of the wives of members of Seiwa Seisaku Kenkyūkai.
[5] She was called the "Godmother of the World of Politics" because she had many followers in politics.
[6] Yōko Abe died on 4 February 2024, at the age of 95.