Indian Council of World Affairs

Two years have passed since the late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (1954-2022) was tragically assassinated in Nara, the ancient capital of Japan. Following the Japanese Buddhist tradition, the Japanese will commemorate the sankaiki, or the “third” anniversary of his passing, on 8 July this year. Though time has lapsed, the void created by his sudden death remains palpable. 

Mr Abe wrote an engaging and inspiring text as a Foreword for Indo-Pacific Strategies: Navigating Geopolitics at the Dawn of a New Age.[i] He also contributed a compelling message to the Japanese edition of the book, published in September 2022. The latter has been translated into English and released as “Realizing a Free and Open Indo-Pacific”.[ii] To honour Prime Minister Abe on the occasion of the sankaiki anniversary of his death, and in the hope of reaching as many people as possible, we humbly decided to publish his original Foreword with our tribute to him at a respectable venue. 

Shinzo Abe’s Landmark Thoughts and Deeds 

“Prime Minister Abe was a transformative leader for Japan and for Japanese relations with each one of our countries”, noted Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, together with United States President Joe Biden and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, in a statement on 8 July 2022.[iii] Indeed, he was. Despite the huge loss for Japan and beyond, the path set by him continues to guide us. His Indo-Pacific vision and the power of his diplomatic legacy should help us navigate challenging geopolitical waters. 

Recognised as a global statesman and one of the sharpest strategic minds of his time, Shinzo Abe’s work in the foreign policy domain aimed to establish Japan as a respected and trusted power in the global arena. His agenda, often referred to as the “Abe Doctrine”, reshaped Japanese foreign and security policy to position Japan as a “tier-one” power. This was articulated in his “Japan is Back” speech at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in February 2013.[iv] His message was clear: Japan’s role was that of a rule promoter, guardian of the global commons, and an effective and trusted partner. Abe’s desire to transform Japan from a reactive to proactive actor on the global stage was backed by concrete actions. For example, the establishment of the National Security Council and the adoption of a coherent National Security Strategy, in December 2013, were critical to realise this vision. Despite the nation-wide controversy it generated, the Peace and Security Legislation adopted in September 2015 further embodied the proactive role for Japan which Abe advocated. 

His legacy is particularly vibrant in the domain of geoeconomics. Abe played a critical role in salvaging the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a high-standard trade agreement from which the U.S. withdrew under President Donald Trump. Regarding economic norm-setting as well, Abe’s leadership in initiating the idea of “quality infrastructure” was a landmark step. He helped set high standards for labour, the environment, and debt sustainability in infrastructure projects through the “Principles for Quality Infrastructure Investment”, standardised at the G20 Summit in Osaka in June 2019. In data governance, Abe’s concept of “data free flow with trust” was endorsed by the G20 and regarded as one of the first efforts to establish rules and norms for the digital global economy. The combination of his efforts firmly positioned Japan as the champion of new rules and norms. In short, Abe’s economic leadership at the international stage, when the economic order was stressed and lacked guidance, was pivotal. 

A Visionary Architect of the Indo-Pacific 

Shinzo Abe’s engagement with the Indo-Pacific as well as his role in Japan-India ties merit special praise. His Indo-Pacific strategy entailed close linkages with India. “It is vital for Japan’s national interest to strengthen relations with India further”, he wrote in his 2006 book, To a Beautiful Country.[v] In fact, he was widely recognised as one of the most ardent advocates of the relationship between Japan and India and credited with helping to build bilateral relations between the two countries into a defining arc in the region. Convinced that “[a] strong India is in the best interest of Japan, and a strong Japan is in the best interest of India”,[vi] he invested greatly in institutionalising India-Japan ties through tools like connectivity projects and laying the foundations for a thriving partnership between the two states. As both countries increasingly face shared challenges, the strategic partnership promoted by Abe yields rich dividends for both. 

Upon becoming prime minister, the young and exuberant Abe was true to his word, quickly bolstering the relationship with India through the “Strategic Global Partnership” which he signed with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in December 2006. As featured in his Foreword, Abe’s official visit to New Delhi in August 2007 and his monumental speech, “The Confluence of the Two Seas”, at Sansad Bhavan[vii] further cemented the bilateral ties. Employing the term “confluence”, he outlined Japan’s “Indo-Pacific” vision in all but name. Abe’s Foreword is revealing as he recollects, “I unintentionally introduced a new geographical concept, ‘Indo-Pacific’, and created a maritime identity that had not existed before”. 

Shinzo Abe’s proposition of “Asia’s Democratic Security Diamond”[viii] is a prime example of his legacy as a thought leader. Mr Abe certainly “played a formative role in the founding of the Quad partnership, and worked tirelessly to advance a shared vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific”, as Mr Modi and his colleagues acknowledged.[ix] Abe’s clearsighted, strategic vision led to an enduring institutional architecture in the Indo-Pacific. Currently held at the leaders’ summit level, the Quad consultation among Australia, India, Japan, and the U.S. was first advocated in Abe’s 2006 book[x] and had modest beginnings at a low-key meeting in Manila, the Philippines, in May 2007. Resurrected in November 2017, and now functioning as the first line of defence for a rules-based international order, this quadrilateral platform would not have been possible without Abe’s insights and zeal. 

Abe’s conceptualisation of the Indo-Pacific was the fruit of geostrategic compulsions and normative concerns. Indeed, the second Abe administration which began in December 2012 continued to realise what he and his successors enunciated as a “free and open international order”. The Indo-Pacific was again brought to the fore in his seminal policy speech in August 2016 at the Sixth Tokyo International Conference on African Development in Nairobi, Kenya.[xi] Abe, in this speech, underscored Japan’s responsibility in fostering the confluence of the two oceans while introducing the country’s “free and open Indo-Pacific (FOIP)” strategy. 

For Abe, freedom and openness were intended to deny coercion and predation. As such, his FOIP concept marked the first time that a vision of the international order crafted and presented by Japan was endorsed by key players like the U.S., India, France, and the United Kingdom. A growing number of actors and analysts―including those outside the Indo-Pacific region―now refer to the Indo-Pacific as both a geostrategic as well as a normative idea. Abe was insightful and impactful on the Indo-Pacific and many other fronts, playing the role of a pathfinder. His legacy in shaping the international order undoubtedly outlives him. 

A Path He Made 

A graduate of Seikei University, Mr Abe was a charismatic political leader who also holds the distinction of being Japan’s longest-serving prime minister. The proverb, “The peach and plum trees do not speak, but the path is made beneath”, originating from a Chinese classic,  Records of the Grand Historian, by Sima Qian, bestowed its name on Abe’s alma mater. Embodying this spirit, Shinzo Abe cleared a path with his innate magnetism that resonated far and wide. 

As testimony, top notch Japanese administrators and advisors such as Eiichi Hasegawa, Takaya Imai, Nobukatsu Kanehara, Hiroshi Suzuki, Tomohiko Taniguchi, and Shotaro Yachi gathered around him and lent their efforts. Abe’s magnetism also cemented his relations with various foreign leaders across the world, as demonstrated by the innumerable mourning messages received after his death. Most notably, on the ideational front, his Indo-Pacific contribution―starting from a “first drop of water” into a stream, as he states in his Foreword―has transformed into a powerful river, significantly shaping the course of history. 

As the world enters an era of dangerous uncertainty, the normative tenets of the Indo-Pacific idea articulated by Japan’s prime strategist have become a lodestar to guide us in shaping the world that we desire to see. This vision is buttressed by solid ties between Japan and India, to which the late Prime Minister contributed so much. Naturally, peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region depend markedly on this special relationship. 

Mr Abe was a truly global leader whose vision and policies have only become more relevant with time. They will enshrine his legacy for the ages. It is incumbent on each of us to fulfil that grand vision of peace, freedom, and openness.

Foreword

Abe Shinzō, Prime Minister of Japan (former)

In the summer of 2007, I visited Delhi and addressed the joint house of the Indian Parliament. I spoke of an envisaged nautical chart for our shared future. Until that time, the area of East Asia where Japan is located was known as the “Asia-Pacific.” It was thought to be a political and economic zone separate from the Indian Ocean region. 

However, there has been a dynamic coupling between the two, and the Indian and Pacific Oceans are now becoming one. Convinced that this would be the case more and more in the future, I named my speech “Confluence of the Two Seas,” borrowing an appropriate title from an Indian classic. 

At that time, I spoke of the strong ties between India and Japan, which are bound together by the commonality of values that they espouse. At the same time, I unintentionally introduced a new geographical concept, “Indo-Pacific,” and created a maritime identity that had not existed before. 

I just said “new.” However, the combination of the Indian and Pacific Oceans has been in place since time immemorial, which is simply nothing new. A word in Tanzania, “huti,” is said to be derived from an Austronesian word “punti.” Both refer to bananas. The banana crossed from the Pacific Ocean to the east coast of Africa. It was the fathers of the coastal and island nations of today who carried them, and the Indo-Pacific has long provided opportunities for free activity for merchants and voyagers with ambitions to grow. 

When I hear the words “free and open Indo-Pacific,” what comes back to my mind is such an expansive seascape. What brought about the dramatic growth of post-war Japan, come to think of that, was also the endlessly free and open waves of the Indo-Pacific. Japan is a country that knows the benefits of the Indo-Pacific more than any other. The four letters of FOIP continue to remind me of Japan’s responsibility to preserve it. 

Bringing about the FOIP, given its spatial scope, means protecting and nurturing the most important public good for the world and humanity. On the contrary, any attempt to make the Indo-Pacific a confined and closed place is harmful and futile for everyone. It must not be allowed. 

This is the reason why democratic countries that revere freedom, respect the rule of law, and have open governments must join forces. For it is obvious that the guardians of public goods must be such countries. 

The first drop of water that I threw into the stream became a powerful current in the ocean, and the FOIP became a highly magnetic concept. I think this book is the timeliest attempt to bring together the wisdom of eleven people to present a multifaceted view of the FOIP. As a reader, I would like to express my gratitude to the editors and contributors for their valuable intellectual contributions.

 *****

*Dr Kei Hakata is a Professor at Seikei University in Japan

*Dr Jagannath P. Panda is the head of the Stockholm Center at the Institute for Security and Development Policy (ISDP) in Sweden and a Professor at the University of Warsaw. Panda was a visiting research fellow at the Center for Asian and Pacific Studies (CAPS), Seikei University.

** Note: The text of the ‘Foreword’ above is reproduced from Indo-Pacific Strategies: Navigating Geopolitics at the Dawn of a New Age – edited by Brendon J. Cannon & Kei Hakata, 1st Edition, published by Routledge. ©2021 selection and editorial matter, Brendon J. Cannon, Kei Hakata; individual chapters, the contributors. Reproduced by arrangement with Taylor & Francis Group.

Endnotes 

[i] Brendon J. Cannon and Kei Hakata (eds.), Indo-Pacific Strategies: Navigating Geopolitics at the Dawn of a New Age, Routledge, 2021.

[ii] Abe Shinzō, “Realizing a Free and Open Indo-Pacific”, Project Syndicate, 26 September 2022.

[iii] The Whitehouse, “Statement by President Joe Biden, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi Mourning Former Prime Minister Abe”, 8 July 2022.

[iv] Shinzo Abe, “Japan is Back”, Speech at CSIS, 22 February 2013.

[v] Abe Shinzō, Utsukushii kuni-e [To a Beautiful Country], Bungei Shunjū, July 2006, p. 159.

[vi] Remarks of Shinzo Abe, Former Prime Minister of Japan, at the Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA) and Japan Institute for National Fundamentals (JINF) joint seminar, 20 September 2011, New Delhi, India.

[vii] Shinzo Abe, “Confluence of the Two Seas”, Speech at the Parliament of the Republic of India, 22 August 2007.

[viii] Abe Shinzō, “Asia’s Democratic Security Diamond”, Project Syndicate, 27 December 2012.

[ix] The Whitehouse, “Statement”, op. cit.

[x] Abe Shinzō, Utsukushii kuni-e, op. cit., p. 160.

[xi] Address by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at the Opening Session of the Sixth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD VI), 27 August 2016.