Could Not Maintain Hard Policy

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Wednesday announced that he would visit South Korea and attend the opening ceremony of Pyeongchang Olympic next month. While anti-South Korean conservative powers in Japan did not hoped Abe to join the event of encouraging Moon Jae-in administration that reviewed bilateral agreement on settling comfort woman issue, Abe made his own decision with expectation of reward to get support for Tokyo Olympic two years later. Abe is going to demand Moon to implement the agreement with former President of South Korea, Park Geun-hye.

To a question of an opposite leader in Plenary Sittings of House Representatives, Abe told his plan to attend the opening ceremony and have a meeting with Moon, if the domestic condition would allow it. Considering new policy of Moon administration that would overturn the agreement, which declared final and irreversible settlement of comfort woman issue, Abe hoped to tell Moon his unchanging stance on it and require Moon’s implementation.

Another purpose of the visit would be reconfirming cooperative relationship in North Korean issue. Seoul has been taking soft policy toward Pyongyang over North Korea’s participation to Pyeongchang Olympic. The North has agreed on sending a large delegation including political leaders, athletes or supporters. It is likely that a unified women ice hockey team of the North and South will have a match with some countries including Japan. “I would like to tell him that we must not be shaken in the policy of putting maximum pressure on North Korea to let them abandon their nuclear and missile development,” told Abe on the meeting with Moon.

United States will send Vice President Mike Pence to Pyeongchang. It is expected that Japan, US and South Korea will have a trilateral leaders meeting in South Korea. Having agreed with South Korea on resumption of military exercise after Pyeongchang Olympic, US hopes to show firm cooperation of those three governments to not only Pyongyang but Beijing or Moscow. It is reported in Japan that Abe could have received the demand of attending the opening ceremony by Donald Trump administration.

Abe does not welcome reconciliation between the North and South, because security situation has to be bad for him in promoting his personal political agenda of changing Article 9 of Constitution of Japan. It is likely for Abe administration to maintain sober relationship with Moon administration as long as Moon seeks peaceful settlement of nuclear and missile issue. Abe keeps his policy not to change the deal with Park administration “even one millimeter.”