It has been more than a year since , Japan¡¯s longest-serving prime minister, resigned due to illness. His successor, Yoshihide Suga, has come and gone. But institutional innovations that Abe spearheaded ¡ª namely, the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, or ¡°the Quad¡± ¡ª look likely to shape Asia¡¯s geopolitical landscape for a long time to come.

Abe worked tirelessly to deliver the CPTPP, after former President Donald Trump effectively torpedoed its predecessor pact, the Trans-Pacific Partnership, by withdrawing the United States. The agreement that Abe revived currently includes 11 Asia-Pacific countries, with of nearly $14 trillion.

Moreover, the CPTPP¡¯s ranks are set to grow. The United Kingdom to join the pact last February. In September, China , in an apparent effort to highlight its commitment to free trade ¡ª and set itself further apart from the United States. Taiwan six days later.