Shinzo Abe, the longest-serving Japanese Prime Minister, played a crucial role in strengthening and shaping Indo-Japanese ties, into Special Strategic and Global Partnership. His death is a severe blow to India.
The LDP won in the Upper House elections of Japan’s Parliament. However, The tragic death of Japanese PM Shinzo Abe silenced the jubilation.
When his body was sent to Tokyo, observers in and out of Japan began speculating on his assassination’s impact on Japan and the world.
Abe and Indo- Japanese Relations:
India was always a priority for Abe, in and out of office. Abe provided the bilateral relationship direction, whilst governments before him had sensed India’s potential and tried to develop ties.
His conviction in ‘Confluence of the Two Seas’ helped break through traditional and conceptual barriers between the two nations.. This provided a way for an all-encompassing strategic concept of Indo-Pacific.
Between 2014 and 2020, PM Modi and PM Abe worked to expand trade, reviving the Quad, undertaking a joint response against China, and bringing Japanese investments into India. The wings of Indo-Japan ties have spread into supply chain security, military exercises, critical technologies, and space and cybersecurity collaborations.
India after Abe’s death:
Abe came with a clear and strategic vision for India and this, even after his death, will make Japan, India’s important diplomatic as well as security partner.
His National Security Strategy (2013), which still guides Japan’s foreign policies, pushed for an enhanced relationship with India, along with other democratic powers of the world. India is likely to remain a key Japanese partner.
The upcoming debates of debates and security strategies, which are of immense interest to India, will be affected by Abe’s death.
To India, Abe will always remain a very special Japanese leader. His wholehearted personal commitments to the strengthening of Indo-Japanese Special Strategic and Global Partnership will always be remembered.
His loss, is a great one, for both nations.
