3 groups who will benefit the most from Abe’s demise

The world is in shock. India’s friend and former Prime Minister of Japan, Shinzo Abe is no more. The longest-serving post-war PM of Japan passed away after being shot while campaigning for parliamentary elections in the western city of Nara. He was shot from behind during his speech. The assassin was identified as a 41-year-old ex-marine of Japan’s self-defence force.

While further details are still awaited, let’s have a look at the politics of former PM Shinzo Abe and understand what a visionary he was. But before that, some obvious questions are popping up. Is Abe’s assassination a result of political infighting in Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party or can an angle of international conspiracy be traced?

Padma Vibhushan Shinzo Abe and his ties with India

The Indian government conferred the second-highest civilian award Padma Vibhushan to Japan’s ex-PM Shinzo Abe and there lies a history of how Abe played a pivotal role in transforming India-Japan ties.

Abe can be credited as the first world leader to realise the importance of India’s position as a major democratic power in the South-Asian region. It was under Abe’s tenure that the India-Japan relationship touched new heights and the two countries stepped up their alliance as strategic partners by forcing Japan to shed some of its post-WWII pacifist restrictions.

The nationalist leader of Japan also had a special rapport with PM Narendra Modi and both the leaders shared a personal relationship. Abe’s address in 2007, during his first tenure, at the Indian Parliament was the turning point in the ties between New Delhi and Tokyo. Not only QUAD, but Abe must be credited for innovating the concept of Indo-Pacific, which later became the main pillar of India-Japan ties.

The 3 groups that benefit from Abe’s demise

After Abe, the New Delhi-Tokyo ties need special attention. India has lost a dear friend, the one who saw India as an Asian power and the one who stood firmly with India on different concerns. But the question is who are the ones who stand to gain the most from Abe’s demise?

Rational thinking suggests that the ones who stand to benefit the most from Abe’s assassination may have orchestrated the attempt. And to guess the names is not a tough job. I am not making this up, anyone with a little touch of geopolitics cannot rule out the international conspiracy angle in Abe’s assassination.

Paper Dragon: The biggest beneficiary

Celebratory posts were reported on the Chinese platform Weibo after the assassination. The Chinese nationals were found celebrating the attack, as they were hailing the shooter while wishing for Abe’s death. This is not at all surprising as it was Shinzo Abe who poked the dragon into the eye. It was quite evident in various articles of China’s mouthpiece Global Times.

It was Abe who converted Japan into an assertive military power and rescued it from pacifism. He pumped nationalism into Japan’s population and strengthened Japan on the global stage. He opened his arsenal against Beijing over Taiwan. Abe’s dealing with China was a geopolitical lesson for leaders around the world.

Also Read: The Shinzo Abe effect: the US drafts a joint plan with Japan to defend Taiwan from Chinese aggression

USA’s CIA angle in Abe’s assassination

As reported by our international arm, TFI Global, Kishida was Biden’s man in Japan, who was picked by Biden to fulfil his dreams of recoupling with China.

The USA has a history of assassinations of leaders and its investigative agency CIA is infamous for carrying out political assassinations on foreign soil and this is well documented. And Shinzo Abe overturned the country’s position with his policies and Japan came out of its tenure as USA’s subsidiary.

The China dove Biden administration desperately wants Japan on its side in order to cut Russia to size and recouple with China. And Shinzo Abe was a threat to Biden’s dream as Abe alive would not have ever allowed Biden to flirt with China while bypassing Japan’s security concerns over China’s assertiveness in the region.

Also Read: Shinzo Abe sends out a stern message to China, but it’s meant for Biden

An Abe-less Japan would be very easy to tackle not only for Beijing but for the White House as well.

The pro-China faction in Japan’s ruling LDP

Even after stepping down, Abe actually never stepped down from the chair and always remained in a commanding position. From the curtains, he dictated the anti-China policy of the Kishida government and this was not appreciated by many.

Kishida himself is guilty of sidelining and abandoning Abe’s foreign policy. Kishida never acknowledged that China possesses a threat to Japan. The reason being Kishida hails from the Kochikai faction, which is considered the most liberal faction among the ruling LDP.

Kishida is Biden’s man in Japan and the death of Shinzo Abe would calm the fears of the liberal faction, which since time immemorial feared Abe’s firm hold over the party.

Neutralising a threat like Abe would have been an obvious choice for the enemies of Japan as well as Abe. However, Abe was a leader who earned respect and admiration across the world and his legacy will continue to live.