Prime Minister Abe Shinzo will resign on September 16, two days after the LDP elects the next president of the party. His long tenure in office gave Abe the opportunity to leave his mark on his party…

Defense Minister Yasuo Ichikawa, left, apologizes to Okinawa Governor Hirokazu Nakaima December 2, 2011 (Tadashi Mizowaki/Courtesy to the Asahi Shimbun). It is difficult to write about the events of…