Three years have passed since former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was struck down by an assassin’s bullet on July 8, 2025. Even now, people continue to visit the site of the tragedy—outside Yamato-Saidaiji Station in Nara City—offering flowers and quiet prayers in remembrance of his death.
On January 3, 2025, a decision was made that shook economic relations between Japan and the United States. U.S. President Joe Biden issued an executive order blocking Nippon Steel’s acquisition of U.S. steel giant U.S. Steel, citing national security concerns. This is a highly unusual situation in which the purchase of an American company by a firm from a U.S. ally was directly halted by presidential authority.