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Prime Minister Narendra Modi is in Tokyo to attend the state funeral of former Prime Minister of Japan Shinzo Abe. Modi had tweeted on Monday, “I will be conveying heartfelt condolences to Prime Minister Kishida and Mrs Abe on behalf of all Indians. We will continue working to further strengthen India-Japan relations as envisioned by Abe San.”
India had announced one-day national mourning on July 9 as a mark of respect for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who was shot dead while making a campaign speech three months ago.
On July 8, describing Shinzo as one of his “dearest friends”, PM Modi said he was a “towering global statesman”, an “outstanding leader”, and a “remarkable administrator”.
“I am shocked and saddened beyond words at the tragic demise of one of my dearest friends, Shinzo Abe. He was a towering global statesman, an outstanding leader, and a remarkable administrator. He dedicated his life to make Japan and the world a better place..Abe made an immense contribution to elevating India-Japan relations to the level of a Special Strategic and Global Partnership. Today, whole India mourns with Japan and we stand in solidarity with our Japanese brothers and sisters in this difficult moment,” Modi tweeted.
Shinzo Abe, who was assassinated on July 8, was one of the most consequential leaders of Japan in it’s post-war history. He was Japan’s longest serving Prime Minister, having served two terms from 2006 to 2007 and then from 2012 to 2020. He announced in August 2020 that he would step down from his post following the resurfacing of a chronic illness. Abe, who was then 65, was due to be in office until September 2021.
During his time in office, Abe was a great friend of India, and a relationship that he invested personally in. He also had a special rapport with PM Modi, which came out on multiple occasions.
After Abe announced his decision to step down in 2020, Modi had tweeted: “Pained to hear about your ill health, my dear friend @AbeShinzo. In recent years, with your wise leadership and personal commitment, the India-Japan partnership has become deeper and stronger than ever before. I wish and pray for your speedy recovery.”
Transformation in India-Japan ties
During his first stint in 2006-07, Abe visited India and addressed Parliament. During his second stint — during which he overtook the record set by Eisaku Sato, his great-uncle, of the number of days spent consecutively in office — he visited India thrice, in January 2014, December 2015, and September 2017. No other Prime Minister of Japan has made so many visits to India.
He was the first Japanese PM to be Chief Guest at the Republic Day parade in 2014. This reflected his commitment towards an India relationship — he was being hosted by a government that would be facing elections in May 2014. As Japan’s leader, he was wooed both by the UPA under Dr Manmohan Singh and the NDA under Modi.
While the foundation for “Global Partnership between Japan and India” was laid in 2001, and annual bilateral summits were agreed in 2005, Abe accelerated the pace of ties since 2012.
In August 2007, when Abe visited India for the first time as PM, he delivered the now-famous “Confluence of the Two Seas” speech — laying the foundation for his concept of Indo-Pacific. This concept has now become mainstream and one of the main pillars of India-Japan ties.
During his second term, Abe helped build the relationship further.
Having visited Japan several times as Chief Minister of Gujarat, Modi as PM chose Japan for his first bilateral visit outside the neighbourhood, in September 2014. Modi and Abe agreed to upgrade the bilateral relationship to “Special Strategic and Global Partnership”. The relationship grew and encompassed issues from civilian nuclear energy to maritime security, bullet trains to quality infrastructure, Act East policy to Indo-Pacific strategy.
When Modi went to Japan in 2014, the Indo-Japan nuclear deal was still uncertain, with Tokyo sensitive about a pact with a non-Nuclear-Proliferation-Treaty member country. Abe’s government convinced the anti-nuclear hawks in Japan to sign the agreement in 2016. The pact was key to India’s deals with US and French nuclear firms, which were either owned by or had stakes in Japanese firms.
Defence cooperation and Indo-Pacific
While the security agreement was in place since 2008, under Abe the two sides decided to have Foreign and Defence Ministers’ Meeting (2+2), and started negotiations on the Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement — a kind of military logistics support pact. In November 2019, the first Foreign and Defence Ministers’ Meeting was held in New Delhi. A pact for transfer of defence equipment and technology was also signed in 2015, an uncommon agreement for post-War Japan.
During Abe’s tenure, India and Japan came closer in the Indo-Pacific architecture. Abe had spelt out his vision of the Confluence of the Two Seas in his 2007 speech when the Quad was formed. It collapsed soon, but in October 2017, as Chinese aggression grew in the Pacific, Indian Ocean, and India’s borders in Doklam, it was Abe’s Japan that really mooted the idea of reviving the Quad. In November 2017, it was revived as Indian, Japanese, Australia and US officials met in Manila on the sidelines of the East Asia summit.
Stood by India on stand-offs with China
Since 2013, Indian and Chinese soldiers have had four publicly known border-stand-offs — April 2013, September 2014, June-August 2017, and the ongoing one since May 2020. Abe’s Japan has stood with India through each of them. During the Doklam crisis and the current stand-off, Japan has made statements against China for changing the status quo.
Infrastructure cooperation
During Abe’s visit in 2015, India decided to introduce the Shinkansen system (bullet train). Under Abe’s leadership, India and Japan also formed the Act East Forum and are engaged in projects in the Northeast, closely watched by China. The two countries also planned joint projects in Maldives and Sri Lanka among others to counter Beijing’s influence.
A leader India always missed
Abe was a valuable G-7 leader for India, focused on strategic, economic and political deliverables, and not getting distracted by India’s domestic developments — much to New Delhi’s comfort.
Having hosted Modi at his ancestral home in Yamanashi, the first such reception extended to a foreign leader, Abe was feted at a roadshow in Ahmedabad. His planned visit to India in December 2020 in Guwahati, however, was cancelled due to the protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act.
When Abe announced he had decided to step down, a South Block official said his successor would “have big shoes to fill”.
Quite befittingly, the Indian government — in January’ 2021 — announced Padma Vibhushan, country’s second-highest civilian award, for Abe.
Such was their friendship, Modi’s last meeting with Abe was on May 24 this year, when the Prime Minister met him on the sidelines of the Quad summit in Tokyo.
Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra said PM Modi and Abe had developed a “personal bond of trust and friendship” through their numerous meetings and interactions spanning over a decade beginning from Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Japan in 2007 as the then Chief Minister of Gujarat.
The Foreign Secretary said Abe made “significant contribution” to deepening India-Japan relations, turning largely economic relationship into a broad, Comprehensive and Strategic Partnership, making it pivotal for the security of both our countries and also for regions security.
“Prime Minister Abe’s famous ‘Confluence of two Seas’ speech in the Indian Parliament in 2007, laid the ground for the emergence of Indo-Pacific region as a contemporary political, strategic and economic reality….[his] contribution to India-Japan relations was recognized by the conferment upon him of the prestigious Padma Vibhushan in 2021,” Kwatra said.
