The Importance of Shinzo Abe: India, Japan and the Indo-Pacific Shinzo Abe, who was tragically assassinated on 8 July 2022, is widely regarded as the most influential Prime Minister of post-war Japan. Not only was he Japans longestserving Prime Minister, but he is also credited with giving a new direction to the countrys economic, foreign and national-security policies. Abe left an indelible imprint on Japan-India relations, establishing close ties with two successive Indian Prime Ministers and signing up to a new global and strategic partnership between Asias major democracies. He enabled a radical shift in Asian security architecture and Indias external