Former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe was fatally shot while delivering a campaign speech in Nara, Japan, on the eve of the Japanese House of Councilors elections. The tragic news shocked the world. Abe, who had always been a strong supporter of Taiwan, gained much respect from Taiwanese, who grieve his passing.
Abe was born to a prominent political family. His maternal grandfather Nobusuke Kishi and his great-uncle Eisaku Sato had served as prime ministers, while his father, Shintaro Abe, was a foreign minister.
Shinzo Abe was himself a legendary figure in Japanese politics. When he first took office in 2006 at the age of 52, he was the first prime minister born after World War II and the youngest in the post-war era.
He was also the only politician to have served twice as prime minister since the Heisei era. He was in office for a total of 3,188 days from 2006 to 2007 and 2012 to 2020, making him Japan’s longest-serving prime minister.
When the Great East Japan Earthquake devastated the country in 2011, the then-ruling Democratic Party of Japan was at a loss for what to do. Public anger grew, and a year later it finally erupted.
At a memorial service in 2012 on the first anniversary of the earthquake, Taiwan was not mentioned when the Japanese government expressed appreciation to foreign countries for their assistance. Even though Taiwan made the largest monetary donation of any country, its representative to Japan was not allowed to present flowers on the stage.
The actions drew a public backlash, forcing then-Japanese prime minister Yoshihiko Noda to apologize. Nine months later, Shinzo Abe staged a comeback and returned as prime minister.
After returning to office, Shinzo Abe introduced his “three arrows” economic policy — fiscal stimulus, loose money and structural reform — and revitalized Japan’s stagnant economy. The number of tourists visiting the country surged from a few million per year to more than 30 million in 2019.
In foreign relations, he leaned toward the US and expressed support for Taiwan, while promoting his “prime minister diplomacy,” traveling to nearly 100 countries.
He tried to improve Taiwan-Japan relations despite doubts, and built friendships with former and current Taiwanese presidents, reportedly viewing former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) as a mentor and President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) as a friend. After he left office in 2020, he still made maintaining stability in the Taiwan Strait his responsibility.
Late last year, Shinzo Abe said that “a Taiwanese emergency is a Japanese emergency, and therefore an emergency for the Japan-US alliance.” On April 12, he also wrote an article in the Los Angeles Times, calling the US’ policy of strategic ambiguity on Taiwan outdated.
In May, US President Joe Biden acknowledged Shinzo Abe’s views after he met with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in Tokyo. It seems that a Taiwan policy proposed by Shinzo Abe, echoed by Biden and followed by Kishida is taking shape.
This September marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Japan and China. When Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) congratulated Kishida on his election in October last year, he expressed his hope that the two sides could welcome the historic moment together. The Kishida administration was in a dilemma as Shinzo Abe had reconstructed the triangular relationship among Taiwan, Japan and the US.
We must continue to observe whether Kishida will continue Shinzo Abe’s line after the sudden death of the “shadow warrior.”
Wang Hui-sheng is chief director of the Kisei Ladies’ and Children’s Hospital in Japan.
Translated by Eddy Chang
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