The following is from an interview with Shinsuke Sugiyama, Former Ambassador to the United States, which appeared in Sankei Shimbun on 8/19.
It is a must-read not only for the Japanese people but for people worldwide.
A Strong Legacy, a Touchstone for Successors
While the reputation of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe seems to be in flux in Japan, one thing can be said about him, if only from his assistance in foreign policy as a diplomat.
As a matter of fact, it is rare for someone to be so well known, so trusted, and so present in the international community.
The "Free and Open Indo-Pacific" and the Japan-U.S.-Australia-India "Quad" were originally Abe's ideas.
Without Mr. Abe, there would have been no such thing.
He was a shining example of conceptualization, communication, and diplomacy.
The June 2014 summit in Brussels, Belgium, made me think, "Mr. Abe is really great."
Russia had annexed Crimea in Ukraine in March of that year, and the conference was all about Ukraine.
I attended the summit as Deputy Foreign Minister, and suddenly, without any prior arrangement, U.S. President Barack Obama made a proposal that included strengthening sanctions against Russia.
The other heads of state and government reacted, "What the heck, out of the blue?"
Mr. Abe remained silent while writing notes for about 45 minutes, then raised his hand and said, "President Obama's approach is violent, but what he is saying is right. Listening to everyone, I think we can agree on about four points," he began to explain.
He then added, "The most important thing is to maintain the unity of the G7. Let's maintain unity with this score," he called out, to which German Chancellor Merkel responded, "That's what Shinzo said. It's over. Let's make this a G7 agreement.
Everyone shook Abe's hand, and Obama hugged him and said, "Thank you, Shinzo.
Japan, a country outside the region, put together the issue of Ukraine in Europe and created the G7 agreement.
And it was not a proposal prepared by the secretariat but something the prime minister thought of on his own.
I will never forget that.
Meeting with former U.S. President Trump in New York immediately after his victory in the November 2016 election was also decisive.
Since Trump had not yet taken office and Obama was the incumbent president, most people, not just the Foreign Ministry, were against it, but Abe said he would do it.
One of Trump's closest aides later told me that Trump said, "That was how I could say I could do diplomacy too."
Mr. Abe showed that it should not discard Japan's diplomatic and communicative power.
He says rational things, and foreign governments listen to him.
Japan is more dependable and respected than Japan thinks.
The leaders epitomize this.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, whom I served under when he was foreign minister, is very firm.
But no one is as popular internationally as Mr. Abe.
It won't be easy to follow in his footsteps.
If he does not show his presence by taking the same level of initiative as Mr. Abe, he may end up saying, "Abe was great.
But this is also an opportunity for the prime minister.
If he can show Kishida's color and make the G7 Hiroshima Summit a success, he will become an international leader like Mr. Abe.
(Interviewer: Yasushi Sugimoto)
