One of the exponents of contemporary Japanese politics, Shinzo Abe, who died this Friday (8), had as a political platform to revitalize Japan’s international status, weakened since the economic bubble burst in 1991. To this end, he highlighted two areas of action, economic and security.
In the economic area, his initiatives became popularly known as Abenomics and reflected his personal characteristics, such as his willingness to take risks, as they were unorthodox solutions, which sought to raise inflation and increase public spending to boost the Japanese economy.
In the area of ​​security, on the other hand, his actions were not always well known. An element that guided his project was the revision of article 9 of the Japanese Constitution, which he was unable to change, but through which he signaled the desire to make Japan restore equal conditions of defense in relation to other countries, as this legislation restricts the use of military force outside the territory.
In 2006, already in his first term, he presented the policy of the “Arc of Freedom and Prosperity”, whose strategic objective was to strengthen relations with partner nations and extend Japan’s diplomatic reach to other regions. At the same time, it aimed to contain China and Russia, which would not be included among the countries that prioritize freedom and democracy. In 2007, he transformed the Defense Agency into the Ministry of Defence, an elevation of the agency’s status and another demonstration of his policy.
In his second, longer term, Abe brought new advances in internal security structures. In 2013, he created the Security Council, which strengthened the prime minister’s role in the area, and the National Security Strategy, which contains the foundations of proactive pacifism, the name given to the foreign policy that Japan has been developing to contribute to the maintenance of stability. and the international order.
And, in a practical way, the former prime minister presented his leadership in the establishment of the Quadrilateral Dialogue on Security (Quad) partnership that also involves the United States, India and Australia. This agreement underpins the Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP) policy, which is committed to defending democracy and promoting prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region.
It was also with Abe, in 2014, that the Japanese government reinterpreted the country’s pacifist Constitution to allow its troops to help allies under attack, expanding the capacity for external action.
Thus, its influence was not only significant but could also result in further changes in Japan’s security policies, such as the increase in the Defense Budget, something that is under discussion.
