India-Japan Partnership: Abe the Game Changer

Edited by: Dr. Srabani Roy Choudhury

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.

Edited by: Dr. Srabani Roy Choudhury

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).

Contents
Foreword
Editor’s Note
Editor & Contributors
Tables, Figures and Map

1 Confluence of Strategic Factors: Japan, India, and the Indo-Pacific
Ryohei Kasai

2 Abe: Redefining the Fulcrum in India-Japan Partnership
Srabani Roy Choudhury

3 Abe’s Security Matrix: India, Japan and the Indo-Pacific
Titli Basu

4 Abe’s Indo-Pacific Maritime Security Initiative
Prakash Panneerselvam

5 Abe’s Impact on Economic Engagement with India
Debendra Sahu

6 Abe’s Ties with Northeast India
Anasua Basu Ray Chaudhury

7 Partnership in Politics between Abe and India
Shamshad Ahmad Khan

8 Abe’s Efforts in Shaping Soft-Power Credentials with India
Dinamani

9 Home Diplomacy and International Partnership between India and Japan: A Case of Gujarat
Tomo Kawane

10 Portrait of Abe: Analyses of Indian English Language Media
Arnab Dasgupta

Appendix
Index