Shinzo Abe Memoir: ‘Modi said yes to Quad with Japan in lead’

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By Our Special Correspondent

New Delhi, February 12: Late Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was the architect of the four-nation grouping Quad. He has credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a memoir published posthumously for taking the bait to join the Indo Pacific Group.

Writing in the memoir, late Abe also revealed the Indian hesitation in joining the Indo Pacific strategic group when Manmohan Singh was Prime Minister of the country. Singh, revealed the memoir, was hesitant to provoke China. Incidentally, India during 2004-14 and a few years also in the Modi government was enamoured by the Chinese economy and sought to gain from the cheap materials and ingredients for the manufacturing base.

Late Abe also recalled his deep connections with India, which had roots in the visit of his grandfather Nobusuke Kishi to New Delhi in 1957. Jawaharlal Nehru, Prime Minister of India in 1957 had warmly received the grandfather of late Abe. “In 1957, my grandfather Nobusuke Kishi visited India. I heard from the translator that people had gathered outside the PM’s office,” recalled the memoir of the former Japanese PM, who was assassinated on a campaign trail. He had accompanied his grandfather during the visit to India.

Late Abe was India’s foremost friend, and he along with Manmohan Singh scripted the Comprehensive Economic and Strategic Partnership (CESP), which gained further intensity after Modi took charge of the country. “Jawaharlal Nehru said I am going to give a speech to the people outside so I will introduce you. Nehru told the crowd, Kishi is the prime minister of the country that won a war against the Russian Empire. Japan gave us the courage to fight the British to gain independence,” recalled late Abe in the memoir, who added that the “crowd erupted into cheers”.

He later stated in the memoir that “in my 1st administration (2006-2007) I proposed the Quad to Manmohan Singh but unfortunately he was hesitant”. “I think he was concerned about damaging relations with China. In my second administration (2012-2020), Modi was more understanding,” recalled late Abe in the memoir, which has been an instant hit, running into fresh printing soon after being released in the market.

The former Japanese prime minister also revealed that “Modi’s stance was that India would not join the Quad if it was just the US and Australia. But if Japan was going to take the lead, he was going to say yes”. It may be recalled that the Modi-Abe bonhomie saw India becoming central to Quad. Also, late Abe saw India-Japan economic partnership taking a quantum jump, as the Metro Rail expansion along with dedicated rail freight corridors and also the New Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor were funded by Japan.