RIP Shinzō Abe (1954-2022)

By IndraStra Global News Team

Local media claimed that former Japanese prime leader Shinzō Abe, who was shot earlier today, died at a hospital. Friday's attack provoked outrage and criticism worldwide.  

Abe was gravely wounded after being shot twice around 11:30 JST near Yamato-Saidaiji Station in Nara, western Japan. He was delivering a campaign address on behalf of Councillor Kei Sat, a Liberal Democratic Party candidate seeking reelection, before the upper house elections slated for 10 July in Japan. Immediately after being shot, the former prime minister was initially conscious and communicative but quickly exhibited no vital signs and went into cardiac arrest.

Born into a renowned political family, Abe was the country's longest-serving prime minister. Shintaro Abe, his father, served as Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary, Minister of International Trade and Industry, and Minister of Foreign Affairs in various capacities. Nobusuke Kishi, his maternal grandfather, was a former prime minister.

Nevertheless, the stability that Abe brought to Japan after a time of economic depression set him apart from his politically privileged family and his predecessors. This was the factor that made Shinzo Abe stand out. It is stated that the economic measures he has implemented since his reelection in December 2012 have breathed new life into the country's economy, which had been on the verge of collapsing before his reelection. His reforms were dubbed "Abenomics" — it included "three arrows" — monetary easing from the Bank of Japan, fiscal stimulus through increased government expenditure, and structural reforms. As soon as the Abenomics policies were adopted, many financial markets in Japan began to deliver immediate effects. Strategically weakening the yen versus the U.S. dollar led to a boost in export volumes.

On the foreign policy front, Abe prioritized cultivating friendships with influential leaders who were vital to Japanese interests. For instance, he established personal contact with former U.S. President Donald Trump and successfully utilized it to preserve Japan's interests. The impact was so profound that it immediately deescalated the hostile language about Japan that characterized Trump's presidential campaign.

Similarly, he connected with Indian Prime Minister Modi, who referred to Abe as his "most dependable friend." This resulted in a strengthening of strategic ties between Japan and India. In 2007, he created the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue with India, Japan, the United States, and Australia. He also conceived the "fifth" bilateral link in the growing global context. The US-Australia, US-Japan, Japan-Australia, and US-India links were formed as supportive strategic alignments. These are abilities that no other Japanese political leader could equal. Faced with Chinese expansionism, Abe launched the alliance with strategically significant nations – a growing geostrategic paradigm that Chinese scholars cautiously dubbed the "Asian NATO."

In addition to this, he brought Japan's voice back to the international scene at a time when the country's interests demanded that it take a political leadership role on a worldwide scale – both in terms of the future of the liberal economic order and in terms of the state of global security.

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