Tribute to Shinzo

Sir,
India shared a deep relationship with Japan, much of which must be credited to the personal bonding between Shinzo Abe and Narendra Modi. The picture-perfect frame of ‘Modi-Abe Ganga-aarti’ in Varanasi in December 2015 bore testimony to the ties between the two nations. Under Abe Japan became a vital investor in India and a major strategic ally. His knowledge and experience in international politics and strategic thinking were unparalleled in the Liberal Democratic Party. Abe will be remembered for boosting defence spending and pushing through the most dramatic shift in Japanese military policy in 70 years. Abe, who had a deep passion and love for his country and its people, once said: “Like the flowers of the plum tree blooming proudly in spring after the cold winter, I wish the people of Japan to bloom like individual flowers in the future.”
Ranganathan Sivakumar
Chennai