“Abe was unapologetic in his efforts to project a strong national identity for Japan, and at times, ruffled feathers with his efforts to strengthen Japan’s defenses and argue for a revision of its postwar Constitution. Yet his pragmatic instincts dominated, and Abe will go down in history for his unstinting effort to ensure Japan was prepared for the rapidly changing geopolitics that challenged its postwar success,” CFR’s Sheila A. Smith writes for the Asia Unbound blog.
“[Abe’s] absence leaves a gaping hole: his faction has no clear successor, and no one else in the LDP’s conservative wing has the stature to pick up his mantle. That, along with the LDP’s victory in the upper-house elections, leaves Mr. Kishida with ample room to operate,” the Economist writes.
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