PM Abe Shuns Word “Strategy” When Touting Free, Open Indo-Pacific

November 15, 2018

Tokyo--Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has recently been refraining from using the word "strategy" when referring to his policy of making the Indo-Pacific region free and open.

In 2016, Abe hammered out "the free and open Indo-Pacific strategy."

But Abe called it "vision" after meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Tokyo on Oct. 29 and "initiative" after his talks with Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad in the capital on Nov. 6.

Most recently, he used the term "vision" again at a joint press conference with visiting U.S. Vice President Mike Pence on Tuesday.

Now shared by the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, Abe's strategy has strong implications about deterring China's aggressive expansion with the One Belt, One Road initiative in the region, as it pursues stability and prosperity with countries commonly putting value on the rule of law and the market economy, pundits pointed out.

The strategy has made Southeast Asian countries worry about the possibility of facing a choice between the Japan-U.S. camp and China, people familiar with the matter said.

According to a senior Japanese Foreign Ministry official, there have been calls from Singapore and other countries to avoid friction between Japan and China. "The word 'strategy' may give an impression of rivalry," the official said. Jiji Press