Abe Shinzō
1954 - 2022
Ideas and Policies of a Transformative Statesman
Motto no. 1: “What I call the Free and Open Indo-Pacific [FOIP, JK] strategy derives from our desire to preserve the blessings of open seas, together with these very countries, as well as the United States, Australia, India and…all countries and peoples who share the same intent.” Statement by Prime Minister Abe Shinzō at the United Nations General Assembly, September 2018; emphasis added.
Motto no. 2: “Japan bears the responsibility of fostering the confluence of the Pacific and Indian Oceans [Indo-Pacific, JK] and of Asia and Africa into a place that values freedom, the rule of law, and the market economy, free from force or coercion, and making it prosperous.” Statement by Prime Minister Abe Shinzō at the TICAD [Tokyo International Conference on African Development] summit, Nairobi , Kenya, August 2016; emphasis added.
Motto no. 3: “Incident, aggression, war — we shall never again resort to any form of threat or use of force as a means of settling international disputes. We shall…respect the right of self-determination of all peoples throughout the world….On the 70th anniversary of the end of the [Second World] war, I bow my head deeply before the souls of all those who perished both at home and abroad. I express my feelings of profound grief and my eternal, sincere condolences.” Statement by Prime Minister Abe Shinzō on the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II, August 15, 2015; emphasis added.