The gleaming silver trains—now very much the symbol of Delhi’s 21st Century avatar—ran on time without a pause on the day the man who was at the heart of the Delhi Metro project passed away. The former prime minister of Japan Shinzo Abe was the father of Abenomics, the key architect of the Quad, but to India he was much more.
It was under his leadership that the loans, under the Official Development Assistance and Japanese know-how was extended to build two of India’s most successful transportation projects in recent times in India—the Delhi Metro and Mumbai–Ahmedabad high-speed rail corridor. The longest serving prime minister of Japan, Abe may have helped transform the India-Japan relationship to new heights, but his policies ensured that warmth of the friendship transformed the landscape of India.
"From a largely narrow, bilateral economic relationship, Abe San helped turn it into a broad, comprehensive one, which not only covered every field of national endeavour, but became pivotal for our two countries’ and the region’s security,'' wrote Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his blog. "For him, this was one of the most consequential relationships for the people of our two countries and the world."
Abe set the tone for the relationship on his trip in 2007 when he stood in the Indian Parliament and made 'The Confluence of Two Seas' speech, where he laid out his vision for closer relations with India. He stated that the relationship is blessed with the largest potential for development of bilateral relationship. “His efforts have been instrumental in bringing our nations together to realise a free, open, and inclusive Indo-Pacific,’’ the ministry of external affairs statement read.
Few relationships have been so transformative for India. Abe visited India four times in his two terms as prime minister. His bromance with PM Modi—their relationship goes back to when Modi was a chief minister—was very evident. In his trip to Gujarat, Abe gamely wore his Modi jacket with ease. “Among his greatest gifts to us and his most enduring legacy, and one for which the world will always be indebted, is his foresight in recognising the changing tides and gathering storm of our time and his leadership in responding to it,’’ wrote Modi in his blog. “Long before others, he, in his seminal speech to the Indian Parliament in 2007, laid the ground for the emergence of the Indo-Pacific region as a contemporary political, strategic and economic reality - a region that will also shape the world in this century.”
Under his tenure, India’s relationship with Japan grew to be elevated to the level of a Special Strategic and Global Partnership. But perhaps, just how committed Abe was to the relationship was visible when he pushed to remove the “last irritant in this bilateral relationship,’’ as Harsh Pant of Observer Research Foundation wrote in his piece 'Shinzo Abe and India: A lasting legacy'. “Japan’s resistance to recognising India as a nuclear power”. The civil nuclear pact was signed in 2016. Modi acknowledged his contribution in his blog: “He was resolute in pursuing the civil nuclear agreement with India – a most difficult one for his country – and decisive in offering the most generous terms for the High Speed Rail in India. As in most important milestones in independent India’s journey, he ensured that Japan is there side by side as New India accelerates its growth.”
