This means something cannot happen without a very important thing. That important thing is absolutely needed.
Noun + を抜きにしてはPrimary
This means something cannot happen without a very important thing. That important thing is absolutely needed.
田中さんを抜きにしては、このプロジェクトは成功しなかったでしょう。
Without Tanaka-san, this project would likely not have succeeded.
織田信長を抜きにしては、戦国時代の歴史は語れない。
The history of the Warring States period cannot be discussed without Oda Nobunaga.
エースピッチャーの活躍を抜きにしては、チームの優勝はあり得なかった。
The team's championship victory would have been impossible without the performance of the ace pitcher.
インターネットを抜きにしては、現代社会のコミュニケーションは考えられません。
Communication in modern society is unthinkable without the internet.
君の助けを抜きにしては、今の僕はないんだ。
Without your help, I wouldn't be who I am today.
You can drop the 'は'. Then it means 'let's set X aside'. Like saying 'jokes aside'. It shifts to a serious topic. You can add 'は' back for emphasis.
This is like '〜なしには' but stronger. It means you must take away a key part. '〜なしには' is more general. You can also use it to mean 'put something aside'. For example, 'flattery aside'. This is like '〜はさておき'. But '〜を抜きにしては' means you cannot talk about the main thing without removing the other. '〜はさておき' just changes the topic.
Don't use this when you want to say something good will happen. For example, you can't say "You can't get good at Japanese without studying, and that's great!"
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