AmCham Taiwan extends its heartfelt condolences to the people of Japan following the death of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who was assassinated in Nara last month. Abe was a longtime friend and fervent supporter of Taiwan and spared no effort in advancing Japan’s relations with Taiwan, both during his time in power and after his decision to step down in 2020. Over the years, he developed close relationships with Taiwanese leaders and promoted Taiwan as a reliable partner to countries with whom it shares the fundamental values of freedom, democracy, human rights, and the rule of law.
However, Abe’s contributions extended well beyond improving bilateral ties to include helping position Taiwan as a critical component of U.S. regional strategy since 2016. As former Deputy National Security Advisor Matthew Pottinger noted in a recent Wall Street Journal op-ed, Abe in a speech delivered in India in 2007 introduced the concept of a “free and open Indo-Pacific,” giving rise to a more inclusive regional designation that was later adopted by the Trump administration in 2017.
After Biden took office in 2021, his administration carried on the momentum started by Abe, and elaborated on under the Trump Administration, with the introduction of its Indo-Pacific Strategy (and its corollary economic framework) earlier this year. Under the strategies set by the U.S. and Japan, their respective bilateral relationships with Taiwan have become more robust, and cooperation in areas such as supply chain resilience, trade and investment, innovation, infrastructure development, and cultural exchange continues to grow.
Taiwan and Japan have a long history of helping each other in times of need, something that Abe was not only keenly aware of, but actively sought to continue. In the aftermath of the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, which caused untold destruction and displaced hundreds of thousands of Japanese, Taiwan donated around US$260 million in relief and reconstruction aid. Last summer, Japan reciprocated Taiwan’s generosity, providing it with millions of doses of much-needed vaccines in the midst of an outbreak of local COVID-19 infections. That effort was spearheaded by Abe, who later received a phone call from President Tsai Ing-wen thanking him for his involvement.
Abe for many years also actively supported Taiwan’s inclusion in initiatives to foster regional economic integration. After the U.S. withdrew from the original Trans-Pacific Partnership in 2017, Abe and his administration took the lead in reviving the regional trade pact under the new name the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). When Taiwan applied to join the CPTPP last year, the late Japanese leader enthusiastically endorsed its accession.
In addition, Abe embraced the spirit of the Global Cooperation and Training Framework (GCTF), a capacity-building initiative launched in 2015 by the U.S. and Taiwan to help Taiwan share its expertise and experience in Asia and beyond. In 2019, Japan, under Abe’s stewardship, joined the GCTF as a full member and has acted as co-host to all of its programs since then.
The policy direction that Abe set during his time as prime minister and his commitment to empowering Taiwan have been adopted by his successors, Yoshihide Suga and current Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, a clear sign of his outsized influence on Japanese politics. AmCham Taiwan will fondly remember Abe and his legacy of enhancing friendship and cooperation between Japan and Taiwan and of demonstrating to America and the world Taiwan’s importance to regional and global affairs.
