How Shinzo Abe Shaped Japan’s Foreign Policy
And made Tokyo a major player across the Indo-Pacific.
On Friday, Shinzo Abe, the former prime minister of Japan, died after being shot in the chest during a campaign event in Nara, Japan. Abe’s assassination has stunned Japan—a country where obtaining a gun is nearly impossible and political violence is relatively rare—as well as the foreign-policy community. Under Abe’s tenure, Tokyo pursued a newly ambitious foreign policy and shaped the security architecture of the Indo-Pacific for years to come.
On Friday, Shinzo Abe, the former prime minister of Japan, died after being shot in the chest during a campaign event in Nara, Japan. Abe’s assassination has stunned Japan—a country where obtaining a gun is nearly impossible and political violence is relatively rare—as well as the foreign-policy community. Under Abe’s tenure, Tokyo pursued a newly ambitious foreign policy and shaped the security architecture of the Indo-Pacific for years to come.
In this edition of Flash Points, we explore the controversial legacy of Japan’s longest-serving prime minister, from his “Abenomics” program to his impact on the Japan-South Korea relationship and his role in laying the groundwork for the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue. —Chloe Hadavas
People pay their respects in front of a makeshift memorial outside Yamato-Saidaiji Station, where former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was shot earlier in the day, in Nara, Japan, on July 8. Philip Fong/AFP via Getty Images
‘How Could This Happen in Japan?’
Abe killing shocks one of the world’s safest countries, William Sposato writes.
Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe attends an event before the Liberal Democratic Party’s annual convention in Tokyo on Feb. 10, 2019.Tomohiro Ohsumi/Getty Images
How Shinzo Abe Changed Japan
The assassinated former prime minister leaves behind a complex legacy, Tobias Harris writes.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visits Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam’s Kilo Pier in Honolulu on Dec. 27, 2016. Kent Nishimura/Getty Images
Abe’s Legacy Will Outlive Him
Washington mourns the man who made Japan a real security ally in the Indo-Pacific, FP’s Jack Detsch and Amy Mackinnon report.
A South Korean protester attaches fake money on a picture of Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe during an anti-Japan rally outside the National Assembly in Seoul on Dec. 5, 2019.Jeon Yeon-je/AP via Getty Images
Abe Ruined the Most Important Democratic Relationship in Asia
His ultranationalism destroyed ties with South Korea, S. Nathan Park writes.
Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe takes off his protective mask as he begins a news conference in Tokyo on May 25. Kim Kyung-Hoon/Getty Images
Unloved But Successful, Shinzo Abe Takes His Bow
The longest-ever-serving Japanese prime minister steered the country through rocky years, William Sposato writes.
More from Foreign Policy


At Long Last, the Foreign Service Gets the Netflix Treatment
Keri Russell gets Drexel furniture but no Senate confirmation hearing.


How Macron Is Blocking EU Strategy on Russia and China
As a strategic consensus emerges in Europe, France is in the way.


What the Bush-Obama China Memos Reveal
Newly declassified documents contain important lessons for U.S. China policy.


Russia’s Boom Business Goes Bust
Moscow’s arms exports have fallen to levels not seen since the Soviet Union’s collapse.
Join the Conversation
Commenting on this and other recent articles is just one benefit of a Foreign Policy subscription.
Already a subscriber?
.Subscribe Subscribe
View Comments
Join the Conversation
Join the conversation on this and other recent Foreign Policy articles when you subscribe now.
Subscribe Subscribe
Not your account?
View Comments
Join the Conversation
Please follow our comment guidelines, stay on topic, and be civil, courteous, and respectful of others’ beliefs.