Shinzo Abe, former Prime Minister of Japan
Be aware that, recently the former Prime Minister of Japan, Shinzo Abe was assassinated.
Shinzo Abe was the Prime Minister of Japan for the longest term. He called for more assertive policies to rejuvenate Japan’s economy and re-establish its role on the global stage.
India has been given a special mention in his book Ugyanushii Kuni E (Towards a Beautiful Country).
Major Contributions of Shinzo Abe
- Economic: His economic policy is known as ‘Abenomics’. It was started in the year In this, measures were taken to overcome the deflation which has been prevalent for more than two decades by adopting flexibility in monetary policy, fiscal stimulus and structural reforms.
- Foreign Policy: Under his ‘Arc of Freedom and Prosperity’ policy, the Indo-Pacific region has emerged as a contemporary political, strategic and economic reality.
- Defence: He introduced the idea of Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QUAD) in the year 2007 for free flow of people, goods, capital and knowledge. The constitution was re-interpreted to allow Japanese troops to fight on foreign soil for the first time since World War II. At the same time, the provision was also repealed, which prohibited the exercise of the right to defend a friendly country in the event of an attack.
- Social: The policy of Womanics was adopted. Under this, companies were motivated to increase the employment of women with the help of specially formulated government policies. Under this policy, preferential government contracts and government-funded day-care center facilities were provided to reward companies employing women.
Contribution to India-Japan relations
- Abe promoted the India-Japan Special Strategic and Global Partnership for Peace and Security.
- During Abe’s tenure, Japan contributed a tenth of the foreign direct investment in India through aid in major projects. These projects also included the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail Corridor project.
- He supported India’s entry into four international export control regimes. In addition, cooperation in defense equipment and technology was also promoted.
- For the contribution of Shinzo Abe, the Government of India honored him with the prestigious Padma Vibhushan award in the year
Source – The Hindu
