{"id":1548964,"date":"2022-07-11T15:34:07","date_gmt":"2022-07-11T19:34:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1548964"},"modified":"2022-07-11T15:34:14","modified_gmt":"2022-07-11T19:34:14","slug":"with-shinzo-abes-death-japan-and-taiwan-have-lost-a-strong-advocate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/with-shinzo-abes-death-japan-and-taiwan-have-lost-a-strong-advocate\/","title":{"rendered":"With Shinzo Abe\u2019s Death, Japan And Taiwan Have Lost A Strong Advocate"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fwith-shinzo-abes-death-japan-and-taiwan-have-lost-a-strong-advocate%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1548964&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/japan-scaled-e1657562652741.jpg\" class=\"ff-og-image-inserted\" alt=\"image\" \/><\/div>\n<p>Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was assassinated at a campaign event by a Japanese national last Friday. As the longest-serving PM in Japan\u2019s history and one of the most consequential ones, the effects of his death have already been felt worldwide. For one of Abe\u2019s legacies was advocating for the security of his country and neighboring Taiwan.<\/p>\n<p>Known as a staunch anti-communist, Abe advocated for Japan\u2019s leading role in defending democratic values in the Asia Pacific region to counter China\u2019s growing military power and global ambition. He worked well with President Barack Obama and President Donald Trump and made Japan the most reliable U.S. partner in the Asia-Pacific. He once\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/articles\/japans-shinzo-abe-enduring-leader-who-bolstered-national-defense-dies-at-67-11657271996?mod=theme_shinzoabe-ribbon\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">said<\/a>, \u201cJapan can keep the power balance of this region if Japan and the U.S. join forces.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Abe was credited with introducing the concept of the\u00a0\u201cfree and open Indo-Pacific\u201d after China militarized the South China Sea through building artificial islands, and he was instrumental in forming Quad, an informal alliance including the United States, Japan, Australia, and India. All four nations are aligned in their shared concerns about China\u2019s expanding military and its growing willingness to challenge democratic values.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The Quad held its first joint military exercise in November 2020. When Joe Biden became president of the United States, he threw many of Trump\u2019s foreign policy initiatives out the window, but he kept the U.S. involvement with Quad. The fact that both Trump and Biden embraced Quad was a testament to Abe\u2019s vision and influence.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2>Taiwan\u2019s Ties to Japan<\/h2>\n<p>After stepping down as prime minister in late 2020, Abe didn\u2019t fade into history\u2019s background. He remained the most influential political leader in Japan and continued to serve as the head of the largest faction of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and was a trusted adviser to Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. Abe had become more outspoken, especially on the Taiwan issue, as the island has had to endure growing\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/news\/articles\/2021-07-07\/why-china-keeps-sending-warplanes-to-fly-near-taiwan-quicktake\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">intimidation and harassment<\/a>\u00a0from China\u2019s People\u2019s Liberation Army (PLA).<\/p>\n<p>In December 2021, at a forum organized by a Taiwanese think tank, Abe\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2021\/12\/01\/asia\/abe-japan-china-taiwan-intl-hnk\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">said<\/a>, \u201cA stronger Taiwan, a thriving Taiwan, and a Taiwan that guarantees freedom and human rights are also in Japan\u2019s interests. Of course, this is also in the interests of the whole world.\u201d Abe noted that the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cia.gov\/the-world-factbook\/countries\/japan\/\">Japanese-administered<\/a> Senkaku Islands \u2014 which China calls the Diaoyu Islands and says are Chinese territories \u2014 are only 62 miles away from Taiwan. He worried that if China invaded Taiwan, Japan\u2019s territories could be the next target of China\u2019s PLA. Thus, Abe warned, \u201cA Taiwan emergency is a Japanese emergency, an emergency for the Japan-U.S. alliance. People in Beijing, President Xi Jinping in particular, should never have a misunderstanding in recognizing this.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>After Russia invaded Ukraine, Abe\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bizpacreview.com\/2022\/02\/27\/former-japan-pm-abe-calls-on-us-to-abandon-taiwan-defense-ambiguity-amid-ukraine-turmoil-1206433\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">called on<\/a>\u00a0the Biden administration to abandon the U.S. government\u2019s long-held \u201cstrategic ambiguity\u201d position on Taiwan, which doesn\u2019t commit the United States to Taiwan\u2019s defense. \u201cThe people of Taiwan share our universal values, so I think the U.S. should firmly abandon its ambiguity,\u201d Abe <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bizpacreview.com\/2022\/02\/27\/former-japan-pm-abe-calls-on-us-to-abandon-taiwan-defense-ambiguity-amid-ukraine-turmoil-1206433\/\">said<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p>He further pointed out that a Chinese invasion of Taiwan would endanger Japan\u2019s national security because \u201cto secure wide air superiority\u201d in an operation against Taiwan, China \u201cwould also cover Japan\u2019s airspace. [China] would also conduct operations in and above the waters, so this would affect Japan\u2019s territorial waters, or at least our exclusive economic zone.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Most world leaders have remained muted on the Taiwan issue out of fear of Beijing\u2019s economic coercion and military might. Abe stood out on the world stage due to his unequivocal public support of Taiwan and warning of China\u2019s aggression.<\/p>\n<h2>Strengthening Japan\u2019s Defenses<\/h2>\n<p>Abe also advocated for other ways to shore up Japan\u2019s defense against China. He started a debate on\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/articles\/a-new-nuclear-debate-in-japan-shinzo-abe-nato-us-russia-ukraine-vladimir-putin-china-xi-jinping-11646147202\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">housing American nuclear weapons on Japanese soil<\/a>\u00a0under the North Atlantic Treaty Organization\u2019s nuclear-sharing arrangement, an idea first brought up by Trump. As the only country attacked by atomic weapons in the past, hosting nuclear weapons had been a non-starter in Japan. But the Ukraine crisis has compelled the Japanese public to contemplate the unthinkable.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>While not ready to discuss nuclear-sharing with the United States, PM Kishida recently <a href=\"https:\/\/asia.nikkei.com\/Politics\/International-relations\/Indo-Pacific\/Kishida-Japan-to-fundamentally-strengthen-defense-in-5-years\">announced<\/a> that Japan would \u201cfundamentally reinforce its defense capabilities within the next five years.\u201d He promised to dramatically increase Japan\u2019s defense budget from 1 percent of gross domestic product to 2 percent. Kishida also pledged to provide at least $2 billion in aid to Indo-Pacific countries. It\u2019s fair to say that Kishida probably would not have taken such bold steps without the backing from Abe.<\/p>\n<p>Abe\u2019s advocacy for strengthening Japan\u2019s military and open support for Taiwan made him a target of Chinese nationalists. Some of them <a href=\"https:\/\/finance.yahoo.com\/news\/china-says-shocked-abe-attack-081359866.html?fr=sycsrp_catchall\">celebrated<\/a> his death last Friday.<\/p>\n<h2>Abe\u2019s Domestic Policies<\/h2>\n<p>Abe came from a political dynasty in Japan. His grandfather Nobusuke Kishi served as Japan\u2019s prime minister from 1957 to 1960, and his father, Shintaro Abe, served as Japan\u2019s foreign minister in the early 1980s.<\/p>\n<p>Shinzo Abe first became Japan\u2019s prime minister in 2006, resigning after a short tenure due to health issues.\u00a0He became Japan\u2019s prime minister again in 2012. After serving for eight years, he had to resign in late 2020, again due to health issues.<\/p>\n<p>Most observers agree that Abe\u2019s foreign policy was much more successful than his domestic one. His efforts to revive Japan\u2019s economy achieved mixed results. For example, his economic programs, known as \u201cAbenomics,\u201d couldn\u2019t get Japan out of its long stagnation despite early successes (the lockdowns during the Covid-19 pandemic didn\u2019t help either).\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>On national defense, Abe failed to revise Article 9 of Japan\u2019s constitution, which was adopted after World War II and aimed to prevent the nation from establishing any \u201cwar potential.\u201d Abe did, however, manage to introduce a reinterpretation of the constitution. With legislative approval, such a reinterpretation allowed Japan to increase defense spending and the nation\u2019s self-defense forces to cooperate closely with the U.S. military outside Japan. Abe\u2019s reinterpretation was criticized by Japan\u2019s pacifist faction and neighboring countries such as China and South Korea \u2014 both nations suffered enormous loss of lives and destruction during their wars with Japan, so animosity lingers on. But Abe believed that Japan must strengthen its military to counter the aggressions from both China and North Korea.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>With Abe\u2019s death, both Japan and Taiwan lost an influential advocate. The region\u2019s peace and security face more uncertainty now.\u00a0<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\" \/>\n<div class=\"article-author-description fst-italic\">\n  Helen Raleigh, CFA, is an American entrepreneur, writer, and speaker. She&#8217;s a senior contributor at The Federalist. Her writings appear in other national media, including The Wall Street Journal and Fox News.  Helen is the author of several books, including &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Confucius-Never-Said-Helen-Raleigh\/dp\/1499185278\/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&#038;keywords=Helen+Raleigh+Confucius+Never+Said&#038;qid=1606079469&#038;sr=8-1\">Confucius Never Said<\/a>&#8221; and \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Backlash-How-Chinas-Aggression-Backfired\/dp\/1736008501\/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&#038;qid=1606006113&#038;sr=8-1\">Backlash: How Communist China&#8217;s Aggression Has Backfired<\/a>.&#8221; Follow her on Parler and Twitter: @HRaleighspeaks.<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was assassinated at a campaign event by a Japanese national last Friday. As the longest-serving PM in Japan\u2019s history and one of the most<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":536,"featured_media":2315279,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1548964","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1548964","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/536"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1548964"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1548964\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2315279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1548964"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1548964"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1548964"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}