At noon of the 8th, July, while having a stump speech in the city of Nara, Nara prefecture, former Prime Minister of Japan Shinzo Abe was shot from behind by a 41-year-old man. The former Prime Minister then passed away despite receiving medical treatment from a hospital in Kashihara city. This incident has startled all citizens of Japan and made people around the world grieve.
        Regarding the passing of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson expressed: “His global leadership through uncharted times will be remembered by many” (Reuters). Indeed through all the years of dedication, PM Shinzo Abe (1952 - 2022) has been seen as a man endeavoring to revitalize Japan, the Japan’s longest-serving Prime Minister, as well as “a close friend” of Vietnam (according to former Vice-Minister of Foreign Affair Nguyen Quoc Cuong). Prime Minister Abe has left many unique imprints, as well as many unfinished stories on both foreign and domestic policies, including Vietnam-Japan relations.

BECOMING THE PRIME MINISTER OF JAPAN TWICE
        Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was born on the 21st, of September 1954 (68 years old) in a family having a tradition in politics in Tokyo. In 2006, Mr. Abe officially became the youngest Prime Minister of “the Land of Rising Sun” and the first Prime Minister who was born after World War II. After a year of governance due to a host of scandals among ministers in the Government and health issues, Mr. Abe stated that he would resign in September 2007. However, after five years, when rather rallied, he came back to the field of politics and assumed the Prime Minister for three more terms from 2012 to 2020. This is the longest term for a Japanese head of government with 2,799 days. During his time in office, Prime Minister Abe was seen as a symbol of youth and change.

Source: Shinzo Abe timeline: Career of former the Japanese prime minister | AP News. (2022, July 8). AP News.

CNN Staff (2022), Shinzo Abe, Japan’s longest-serving prime minister, defined politics for a generation. CNN World
McCurry, J. (2022, July 13). Shinzo Abe: from young symbol of change to Japan’s longest-serving PM. The Guardian.

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I. DOMESTIC POLICIES
1. The originator of Abenomics and Womenomics
        In 2012, the third largest economy of the world fell into stagnation after the Great Recession in 2008 and the double disasters in 2011. In order to restore the economy and stabilize the political situation in Japan, Prime Minister Abe has implemented "Abenomics" and quickly achieved certain successes. In addition, Mr. Abe also initiated "Womenomics" - a policy aimed to increase the participation rate of women in the labor market, contributing to increase this rate to 73% by 2020. However, from the end of 2019, statistics illustrated that the Abenomics policy has gradually decreased in effectiveness, and the COVID-19 pandemic has almost wiped out the successes of this ambitious policy by strong outbreaks.
Sources: Mxw_Admin. (2014, December 22). Womenomics and Abenomics - Center for International Private Enterprise. Center for International Private Enterprise.

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2. The aim to Constitutional Amendment
        In order to adapt to security issues, in 2015, the Government of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe adopted the reinterpretation of Japan's postwar pacifist constitution, which permits the SDF to engage in the war and support their allies according to the right of “collective defense”. During the last years of his regime, he was dedicated to the amendment of Article 9 in the Japanese Constitution, giving the right of engaging to Japan by including the JSDF in Article 9, then ending the controversy about this force’s legitimacy. According to Mr. Abe, this was expected to revitalize the political position of Japan and simultaneously adapt to the status quo due to China's increasing assertiveness and the eastern neighbor - North Korea’s expansion of nuclear storage. Nonetheless, until his resignation in August 2020, his constitutional amendment dream remained unfinished as it did not receive Japanese public advocacy.
Source: Vũ Mạnh. (2022, July 8). Di sản của ông Shinzo Abe. thanhnien.vn. 

3. Olympics Tokyo 2020: Olympics “Super Mario”
         Regarding culture and sports, it is possible that PM Shinzo Abe's most prominent achievement was securing the biggest sports event on the planet - Olympics Tokyo 2020. Mr. Abe delighted video game fans around the world when he famously dressed as Japanese icon Super Mario during the closing ceremony for the Rio Games in 2016, to introduce Tokyo as the next host city. However, the COVID-19 pandemic once extinguished many expectations since the Olympics were then postponed until the end of 2021. And Mr. Abe was unable to attend the last event of his term because of his health situation, forcing him to resign in August 2020.
Source: CNN Staff (2022), Shinzo Abe, Japan’s longest-serving prime minister, defined politics for a generation. CNN World

II. FOREIGN POLICIES
1. Endeavor to strengthen the political situation of Japan in world politics.
        For neighboring countries, Prime Minister Abe tried to improve the relation with China and held a historic telephone conversation with President Xi Jinping in 2018. In the same year, Shinzo Abe became the first Prime Minister of Japan visiting Beijing in 7 years, starting a new era after a long while of tension. However, Mr. Abe also attempted to counter the expansion of China, by uniting with Pacific allies. In addition, Mr. Abe had a tough stance on long-lasting quarrels with Korea since World War II as well. 

         For Pyongyang, Prime Minister Abe wanted to normalize the relation with North Korea and pacify the tense situation in the Korean Peninsula. Nonetheless, while both President Donald Trump and President Moon Jae-in organized Summit Conferences to negotiate with the leader of North Korea Kim Jong Un, Mr. Abe seemed to stay out of the fray in this period.
         For the United States - the most important traditional ally of Tokyo, Shinzo Abe cultivated a tight relation with Washington and tried to develop a personal relation with former President Donald Trump before he became the owner of the White House.

       Shinzo Abe is seen as a hawkish-nationalist-pursuing leader, yet throughout his regime, he demonstrated astute pragmatism in foreign affairs. Therefore, foreign policy is said to be a strong point of the late Prime Minister Abe.

Sources: The Guardian. (2022, July 8). Shinzo Abe – a life in pictures.
CNN Staff (2022), Shinzo Abe, Japan’s longest-serving prime minister, defined politics for a generation. CNN World
Yamaguchi, M., Klug, F., & Tanaka, C. (2022, July 9). Live Updates: Shinzo Abe, Japan’s former prime minister, critically wounded after shooting | AP News. AP News. 

2. The originator of the “Free and open India - Pacific”
        The notion of a free and open Indo-Thai region gradually emerged on the international scene when Prime Minister Abe addressed the "Confluence of two seas" to the Indian parliament during his visit in August, 2007. Abe has continued to strengthen and develop this notion during his second term. Specifically, in August 2016, he officially announced the "Free and Open Indo-Pacific" (FOIP) strategy in his keynote speech at the 5th TICAD in Kenya. This notion was later reiterated and supported by the US President Donald Trump in 2017 at the APEC CEO Summit. Up to now, FOIP has been developed into frameworks, principles or even strategies by many countries around the world when approaching the most dynamic region - the Indo-Pacific.
Sources:
https://www.mofa.go.jp/region/asia-paci/pmv0708/speech-2.html
https://www.mod.go.jp/j/approach/exchange/pdf/indo_pacific_e_v2.pdf
https://vn.usembassy.gov/20171110-remarks-president-trump-apec-ceo-summit/

3. The “main architect” of the Quad
         In 2007, during a three-day visit to India, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe initiated the notion of the "arc of democracy" which included the US, India, Australia, and Japan, starting a round of dialogue and some joint military exercises. Mr. Abe also adjusted Japan's military policy and officially operated the Quad. In 2012, he outlined his vision of a “democratic security diamond” to counter China. Although the bloc has experienced a long while of hiatus and doubts about its effectiveness, the Quad is increasingly being consolidated and bolstered its substantive potential to ensure regional security - according to Professor Brahma Chellaney, the New Delhi-based Center for Policy Research.
Sources:
https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2007/08/23/2003375416

https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/explained/article/3122933/what-quad-and-how-will-it-imp
act-us-china-relations-under-biden?fbclid=IwAR0rsppcGmTmEKh5HOUud8iwO2GKfrgb2
QLxzhJVL5IdHO-1Q5Ry9Lei5K4
https://theaseanpost.com/opinion/2022/may/02/quad-crossroads

III. “A CLOSE FRIEND OF VIETNAM”
1.Vietnam and Japan established "Extensive Strategic Partnership" framework
         Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung held “constructive and forward-looking” talks during PM Dung’s visit to Japan October 18-22, 2006 - 1st official guest invited by Japan’s new government. Two sides issued “Japan-Vietnam Joint Statement toward a Strategic Partnership for Peace and Prosperity in Asia” October 19, 2006 to strengthen bilateral relations, covering cooperation in various
areas including economics, science & technology, people-to-people exchanges, international & regional matters.
Full text: https://www.mofa.go.jp/region/asia-paci/vietnam/joint0610.html
         On March 18, 2014, Abe and Vietnamese (former) President Truong Tan Sang agreed to elevate Vietnam-Japan strategic partnership to Extensive Strategic Partnership by announcing “Japan - Viet Nam Joint Statement on the Establishment of the Extensive Strategic Partnership for Peace and Prosperity in Asia”, covering extensive and intensive cooperation fields.
Full text: https://www.mofa.go.jp/files/000031617.pdf

2.Actively promoting dialogue and high-level exchanges between Vietnam and Japan
        Under Abe’s 2nd premiership 2012-2020, he paid 3 official visits to Vietnam as Prime Minister (on Jan 16-17, 2013; Jan and November 2017).
       Abe has also received many high-ranking Vietnamese leaders to visit Japan, including Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung in 2013, President Truong Tan Sang in 2014, General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong in 2015, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc in 2017.
         Japan was also the first Group of Seven (G7) country to invite Vietnam to attend the G7 Extension Summit in May 2016.
Source:
https://www.baogiaothong.vn/dau-an-4-lan-tham-viet-nam-cua-cuu-thu-tuong-nhat-ban-abe-s
hinzo-d558680.html
https://hanoitimes.vn/abe-shinzo-long-lasting-friend-of-vietnam-321227.html

3.Support Vietnam in international and regional arena
      During Abe’s tenure, Japan has supported Vietnam in the international and regional arena, showing its willingness and practical actions to assist Vietnam in maritime capacity-building, provide ODA and direct investment and intensify cooperation in extensive fields. Writes Xuan Dung Phan for East Asia Forum.
Source:
https://www.eastasiaforum.org/2020/09/26/how-abes-diplomatic-activism-elevated-vietnam-j
apan-ties/

          Despite retiring as Japan's prime minister in August 2020, the late Prime Minister Abe still maintains influence in Japan, even during the reign of incumbent Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. “Above all, he cared deeply for the Japanese people and dedicated his life to their service. Even at the time he was attacked, he was engaged in the work of democracy.” Said US President Biden (AP News).
          The sudden passing of Abe Shinzo July 8 has left shocking grief for all the world. Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, on behalf of the party, state and people of Vietnam, sent a message of condolences to Japan and family of former Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, appreciating Abe’s special affection and valuable support for Vietnam and Vietnam-Japan extensive strategic partnership.
Source:
https://vietnamnews.vn/politics-laws/1267410/viet-nam-sends-condolences-to-japan-and-fam
ily-of-former-prime-minister-shinzo-abe.html