Dhruva Jaishankar, Executive Director, Observer Research Foundation America, was Quoted in: Outlook Article titled “Meet Shinzo Abe, Japan's Longest-serving Prime Minister After World War-II”: “When he [Abe] first became prime minister in 2006, Japan did not have a Defence Ministry. In 2007, the Defence Agency was upgraded to a Defence Ministry.
In 2012, Abe quickly established a National Security Council.
In 2013, Abe established Japan's National Security Strategy and National Defense Program Guidelines that defined the architecture of SDFs.
In 2014, Abe revised guidelines for US-Japan defense cooperation and announced new principles for the transfer of defense equipment and tech.
In 2015, Abe established Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Agency (ATLA) to handle defence research, development, and procurement.
Abe was also the first leader after the World War to send troops overseas to fight. Of course, these radical national security reforms were supplemented by important diplomatic initiatives. Indians will of course know of his role in promoting the Free and Open Indo-Pacific and the Quad."