NEW DELHI: Figuratively, the Pacific never came as close to the Indian Ocean as it did almost a decade back in the realm of geostrategic realities.
Former Japan PM Shinzo Abe, who was assassinated on Friday, had not only envisioned it years ago, but also helped define it in the four-country security construct the Quad (the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue encompassing the US, Australia, Japan and India), which Beijing distinctly fears.
Abe thus endeared himself to New Delhi, bringing PM Modi to call him a “dear friend, who will always be the face of India-Japan friendship.”
The Japanese leader recognized India’s importance as a democratic balancer to China’s dominance in the Indo-Pacific integration efforts.
“He made an immense contribution to elevating India-Japan relations to the level of a special strategic and global partnership. Today, India mourns with Japan and we stand in solidarity with our Japanese brothers and sisters in this difficult moment,’’ said Modi.
As a mark of respect, India has declared a one-day national mourning on Saturday. Modi was clearly nostalgic about his last interaction with Abe.
“During my recent visit to Japan, I had the opportunity to meet Abe again and discuss many issues. He was witty and insightful as always. Little did I know that this would be our last meeting,’’ PM Modi said. Post-war Japan has been a pacifist democracy.
However, the rise of China as a military and economic power has posed an existential threat to Japan. Abe, first as a member of the Japanese Parliament, the Diet, and later as Chief Cabinet Secretary under PM Junichiro Koizumi in 2005 and as PM a year later, articulated that concern, as China began its aggressive expansion in the South China Sea.
Abe’s role in the security of the Indo-Pacific region, while ensuring a free trade route based, has been one of his most significant global contributions.
Former permanent representative of India to the United Nations, Syed Akbaruddin, fondly recalls the Abe-Modi meeting in New Delhi.
“Abe hosted a personal tea ceremony for PM Modi in 2014 and he narrated to him the history of tea ceremonies in his family and the distinctive nature of the occasion. It was a rare gesture of graciousness and friendship,’’ says Akbaruddin.
Abe spoke about the new security awakening in a speech in the Indian Parliament in 2007, his first stint as the PM.
“Where exactly do we now stand historically and geographically? To answer this question, I would like to quote here the title of a book authored by the Mughal prince Dara Shikoh in 1655. We are now at a point at which the Confluence of the Two Seas is coming into being."
"The Pacific and the Indian Ocean are now bringing about a dynamic coupling as seas of freedom and of prosperity. A broader Asia’ that broke away geographical boundaries is now beginning to take on a distinct form. Our two countries have the ability and the responsibility to ensure that it broadens yet further and to nurture and enrich these seas to become seas of clearest transparence.”
Abe & India ties
2006: India-Japan relationship was upgraded to a Global and Strategic Partnership with the provision of annual Prime Ministerial Summits.
2007: Abe became the first-ever Japanese PM to address a joint session of Indian Parliament. He recalled that India’s first PM Jawaharlal Nehru had hosted Abe’s maternal grandfather, the then Japanese Prime Minister Nobusuke Kishi, in New Delhi in 1957.
2014: Abe was the Chief Guest at the Republic Day parade.
2014: During PM Narendra Modi’s visit to Japan, the two countries upgraded their relationship to a ‘Special Strategic and Global Partnership’.
2017: Abe, during his India visit, saw the laying of the foundation of India’s first bullet train project at Ahmedabad; the 508-km Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed corridor is being built with Japanese support at an estimated cost of Rs 1.1 trillion.
2021: Abe was awarded the Padma Vibhushan, India’s second-highest civilian award.