India-Japan partnership: Abe the game changer

Book Shinzo Abe was Japan’s youngest and longest-serving Prime Minister in the post-Second World War. His vision for Japan is well defined through Abe Doctrine and Abenomics, namely foreign policy and economic revitalisation programme. Abe’s lasting footprint in international relations is his unwavering commitment to the concept of a “Free and Open Indo-Pacific” and unfolding it by astute diplomacy. This book concentrates on Abe’s 2006-2007 and 2012-2020 regimes. Building on civilisation linkages, shared values, and mutual interest, Abe pegged the relationship with India as a strategic requirement for his vision for the Indo-Pacific region. Drawing linkages between Abe’s vision for Japan and India’s ambition at the world theatre, the contributing authors delve into the various dimensions of this partnership. Critically appraising this bilateral relation, drawing on the convergence of India-Japan interest in the multilateral form, Abe’s impact on the media, and his display of soft power diplomacy, the authors deep dive into diverse spheres that have spun this partnership to a new orbit. Editor Dr. Srabani Roy Choudhury is a professor at the Japanese Studies Centre for East Asian Studies, School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, India. She has promoted Japanese Studies in India for over three decades through teaching, supervision and research. She has been a visiting scholar at various universities and think tanks in Japan. Her edited books include Japan-SAARC Partnership: A Way Ahead (2014), India-Japan Relations @ 70: Building Beyond Bilateral (2022), The Indo-Pacific Theatre: Strategic Visions and Frameworks (2023), and Japan and Its Partners in the Indo-Pacific: Engagements and Alignment (2023).