“In order to make the connectivity linking Japan and Europe something rock-solid, the Indo-Pacific, the sea route that leads to the Mediterranean and the Atlantic, must be free and open.” Speaking in Brussels in September 2019, then-Prime Minister Shinzo Abe expressed his sentiments about Europe and its role in securing the future of the Indo-Pacific ― a region vital for Europe’s economic survival.
Abe saw Europe’s involvement as crucial to balance economic and political forces at a global level, especially at a time when the trade rivalry between the United States and China was heating up and Washington was waving its “America First” policy. In an international setting where shared values and interests bolster solidarity, it is no wonder that the European Union and Japan became “natural” partners.
Three years later, Abe reiterated his view of Europe’s crucial role. In the last text he wrote before his assassination on July 8, 2022, he alluded to European nations as value-based partners and the need to deepen ties with them even as the four original Indo-Pacific partners — Australia, India, Japan and the U.S. ― forged a key framework in the face of threats. This was in line with Abe’s long-standing belief in expanding the “circle of free societies.”