After a long-time impasse, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe makes
an attempt for paying off his debt in the bilateral relationship with China.
Asahi Shimbun reported on Saturday that Abe has been considering a visit to
China for direct meeting with Chinese President, Xi Jinping, early September.
If he is successful in making it happen, it will be a significant gain for his
political power basis.
Xi administration has shown its willingness to invite Abe to
the seventieth memorial of victory against Japan on September 3rd.
Although it is unlikely for a former enemy to participate in such a ceremony,
as well as German attendance to the Victory Day of Russia,” Abe reportedly told
his staffs that he did not want to escape from the invitation from China.
Because it is obvious that the conservatives in Japan will oppose Abe’s
attendance to the ceremony on the memorial day, he is looking for another
timing around September 3rd.
Abe is in need of popularity this summer. Protest against
security legislature is swelling as its unconstitutionality appears to be
undeniable. In a survey of Asahi to 122 scholars on constitutional study, 104
replied that the bills were unconstitutional and it was only 2 who answered
that the bills were constitutional. Abe administration is also going forward to
resuming the reactors in Sendai Nuclear Power Plant later this month, which may
cause firm opposition from the public.
Abe seeks an opportunity to offset this negative
environment. In a meeting with lawmakers involved in the relationship with
South Korea, Abe expressed his willingness to include “reflection to former
war” in his statement for the seventieth anniversary from the end of war. “I
will overwhelmingly succeed the statements of former Premiers. Based on it, I’m
going to express reflection to the former war and report Japan’s post-war
advance as a peaceful nation,” told Abe. It will also be a massage to China
that he is trying to improve the relationship through an appropriate view to
the history.
For Xi, meeting with Abe will work as propaganda to the
world of its generous diplomacy. If he can improve the relationship with Abe,
it will be another diplomatic card against United States, which Xi plans to
visit late September.
One crucial element is discussion over security legislation
in the Diet. It will face a strong opposition in early September, when the
discussion in the House of Councillors will be reaching a peak. It is unclear
whether Abe can compensate his loss in unilateral procedure in the Diet with
diplomatic success in this fall, anyway.
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