Akie Abe, widow of assassinated leader Shinzo Abe, set a new mold for Japanese first ladies
CNN
When Akie Matsuzaki married a rising political aide by the name of Shinzo Abe in 1987, she followed a path well trodden by Japanese wives and gave up her job at the country's largest advertising agency.
But over more than three decades of marriage -- including nine years as Japan's first lady -- she proved to be anything but a conventional political wife.
In Japan, Akie Abe is best known for her outspoken and progressive views. Unlike her predecessors, she refused to stay in the shadow of her husband. Instead, the socialite carved out a public role for herself in a style more akin to American first ladies.
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