On 20 November 2019, Shinzo Abe became Japan’s longest serving prime minister. Abe has attempted to broaden the scope of Japan’s diplomacy by taking an active approach to foreign policy and national security. Under the Abe administration, Japan has sought to simultaneously act as a guardian of the liberal international order and as a loyal ally of the United States. Particularly in the face of US President Donald Trump’s growing inclination towards an ‘America First’ policy agenda, it seems that Abe has managed this task very well, while the result is so far mixed. Above all else is that the harvesting of the fruits of foreign policy is carried over into the future.
