DNA Special: Know the similarities between Japan’s ex-PM Shinzo Abe and India’s PM Narendra Modi

The biggest news for today is the assassination of former Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who was one of the most significant and respectable leaders of the country. His assassination comes at a time when Japan was constantly challenging China. Condolences and messages of grief poured in from all across the international political fraternity, including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

PM Narendra Modi has declared a day of national mourning on July 9 in view of Shinzo Abe’s killing. PM Modi and Abe had met on several occasions, which led to the strengthening of ties between India and Japan over the last decade.

Now, let’s go over some of the similarities between PM Modi and Japan’s ex-PM Shinzo Abe.

The first similarity is that Shinzo Abe was considered one of the biggest political leaders in Japan, while PM Narendra Modi has also achieved a similar title in India. Both the leaders are internationally recognized as strong leadership personalities.

The second similarity between the two is that Shinzo Abe was the first Prime Minister of Japan to be born after The Second World War, while Narendra Modi is the first Prime Minister of India who was born after the Second World War and India's independence.

Both leaders made necessary changes to the Constitution to correct the historical wrongs. While Prime Minister Modi made a revolutionary change by removing Article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir, in 2015, Shinzo Abe amended Japan's constitution to give the military the right to go beyond Japan's borders and fight against its enemy.

The two leaders' views on China have always been the same. Prime Minister Modi, in his tenure so far, has called for strengthening ties with countries that consider China as their enemy. As such, India has strengthened its economic and military ties with Vietnam. Similarly, Shinzo Abe also gave great importance to Japan's relations with Taiwan during his tenure.

It was Shinzo Abe who worked to re-strengthen the QUAD against China's arbitrariness in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Modi has also been giving major importance to this issue, urging QUAD to think about these issues.

The biggest and most prominent similarity between the two leaders is that both Abe and Modi won many elections during their tenure as a politician in their respective countries. Both have gathered massive support when it comes to political backing and citizens of their countries.

The top leaders of all major countries, including US President Joe Biden, expressed their unconditional grief over the tragic death of Shinzo Abe. The whole world was left shocked when Abe was shot dead in Japan, a country that is known for its strict gun safety rules.

At the current time, there is a lot of political instability and uncertainty around the world, majorly caused by the Russia-Ukraine war. On one hand, countries such as Russia, China, and Pakistan have shown each other solidarity, while on the other hand, countries like the US, Japan, Australia, and other western countries have banded together.

In the midst of this divide, India doesn’t side with any specific faction, keeping a neutral standpoint on world issues. The assassination of Shinzo Abe is expected to create more political disturbances across the world, which might lead to more disturbances in India.

The assassination of the former Japan PM is expected to change the political scenario of Japan because, since the second world war, the country has not experienced any such political assassination. This is set to cause fresh waves in global politics. This means that the role of PM Modi in global politics can become even more vital and prominent.

READ | ‘He didn’t want to take it off’: How Shinzo Abe’s golden Nehru jacket became sign of India-Japan friendship