#WhatTheFAQ: Former Japan PM Shinzo Abe shot! What is happening in Japan now?

Shinzo Abe is the longest-serving PM of Japan and the youngest PM post-war. The 67-year-old world leader collapsed holding his chest while his shirt was smeared with blood
Pic: Edex Live
Pic: Edex Live

Ahead of the Japan Parliament's upper house elections on Sunday, July 10, while addressing a campaigning meeting on Friday, July 8 at Nara, former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was shot at. Reports from the Japanese media NHK said that the former PM was shot from behind and a 40-year-old man, who is a resident of Nara city, has been arrested on the suspicion of the shooting.

Further, the reports informed that the former PM showed no vital signs after being rushed to the hospital. The 67-year-old Abe was taken to the hospital as he was holding his chest when he collapsed with his shirt stained in blood.  

Considering these, what are the highlights of his term as a Prime Minister and how were India-Japan relations under him? Here is #WhatTheFAQ to give you all these details and a lot more.

What is the current situation in Japan? 
It is said that the current Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, considered Abe's protege, has suspended his political campaign after Abe's shooting and is heading back to Tokyo.
 
What is unique about Abe?
Coming from a political family, Shinzo Abe holds the title of longest-serving PM in Japanese political history. From 2006 to 2007, Abe served as the PM of Japan and President of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and also from 2012 to 2022. Additionally, Abe was Japan's youngest post-war prime minister.

Who are the other assassinated world leaders?
1865 - 16th President of the United States of America Abraham Lincoln
1894 - France President Marie-Francois Sadi Carnot
1963 - United State's 35th President John F Kennedy
1978 - Italy's 38th President Aldo Moro 
1984 - India's Prime Minister Indira Gandhi
1995 - Israel's Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin
2007 - Pakistan's Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto

How are India-Japan relations?
Although India and Japan are the oldest democratic countries in the world, their association started post India's Independence in 1947 and later the ties emerged to be the strongest. Especially, while visiting India in 2006, 2014, 2015 and 2017, Shizo Abe shared a close relationship with India.

During his two-day visit to attend a summit of the QUAD leaders, India's PM Narendra Modi said, "Japan is an indispensable partner in India’s continuing transformation." 

Commemorating the 70th year of diplomatic ties between India and Japan, Japanese Consul-General Taga Masayuki said, "Relationship between Japan and India is at its strongest point in history with India being a special strategic and global partner of Japan," as stated in a report by The Hindu. The counsel-general said that there are 5,000 Japanese business establishments in India, among which, 600 are in Tamil Nadu mainly in the manufacturing sector. Additionally, many IT Japanese companies are in Bengaluru.

What's Japan's investment in India?
Reports say that standing as the fifth largest investor, Japan has contributed over $ 36.2 billion in cumulative investments since 2000, mainly in key sectors such as automobiles, Electronics System Design & Manufacturing (ESDM), Medical Devices, and Consumer goods, Textiles, Food processing and Chemicals.

"For Japan, India’s speed and scale combined with ease of doing business, attractive incentives, bold reforms and ambitious plans create unmatched opportunities," PM Modi said, as stated in a report by The Hindu. 

As per the Ministry of External Affairs, Japan’s bilateral trade with India totalled USD 17.63 billion in FY 2018-19. Exports from Japan to India during this period were USD 12.77 billion and imports were USD 4.86 billion. The bilateral trade between India and Japan for FY 2019-20 (April - December) totalled to USD 11.87 billion. India’s exports from Japan amounted to USD 3.94 billion while India’s imports from Japan amounted to USD 7.93 billion.

While Maruti Suzuki, Toyota, Honda, Sony, Panasonic, Hitachi and others are a few Japanese firms in India, Indian firms in Japan are TCS, SBI, Quick Heal, OYO, HCL so on.  

Related Stories

No stories found.
logo
EdexLive
www.edexlive.com