Abe pledges ‘aggressive’ diplomacy
Pressure on N Korea promoted in speech
TOKYO: Prime Minister Shinzo Abe yesterday pledged to promote “aggressive” diplomacy, including raising pressure on North Korea, in his first policy speech to parliament after being re-elected as leader this month.
While repeating his Liberal Democratic Party’s campaign pledges made in the run-up to the Oct 22 lower house election, Mr Abe, who doubles as the ruling party president, called for opposition parties to debate his long-cherished goal of a first-ever amendment to Japan’s pacifist Constitution.
“We have to make North Korea change its policies. To that end, we will further strengthen pressure on North Korea along with the international community,” he said during the 39-day special Diet session that runs through Dec 9. He also vowed to beef up Japan’s defence capabilities, including in missile defence.
He started his new term as prime minister on Nov 1 following the ruling bloc’s general election victory.
The prime minister gave a glowing review of US President Donald Trump’s recent visit to Japan, saying it “demonstrated the solid bond of the Japan-US alliance to the world”.
Referring to Mr Trump’s meeting with families of Japanese citizens kidnapped by North Korea decades ago, Mr Abe reiterated his determination to resolve the issue.
“My mission will not end until the abduction victims step on Japanese soil again and embrace their families,” he said.
Mr Abe also said he wants to deepen cooperation with neighbouring China and South Korea by holding a trilateral summit involving Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and South Korean President Moon Jae-in “as soon as possible”.
But all is unlikely to be smooth sailing for prime minister with opposition parties set to grill him over allegations of favouritism, a scandal that hurt his popularity before the election campaign.
On Tuesday, education minister Yoshimasa Hayashi gave final approval for a veterinary school run by Mr Abe’s close friend to open in a government-designated deregulated economic zone. Mr Abe’s alleged role in the establishment of the school was at the root of the favouritism scandal.
The prime minister is scheduled to take questions from party representatives from next week about whether the decision-making process was influenced.
Regarding the contentious issue of amending Japan’s supreme law, Mr Abe briefly touched on the issue at the end of his speech, calling for constructive debate.
The LDP has proposed discussions over amending the Constitution, which they envision means including explicit mention of the status of Japan’s SelfDefence Forces in its war-renouncing Article 9. In May, Mr Abe called for debate on the issue to advance so that the amendment could come into force in 2020.
The general election gave the ruling LDP-Komeito party coalition and other pro-revision lawmakers the numbers they need in both Diet houses. A two-thirds majority is a required condition to formally propose a constitutional revision, which must then be approved by a majority of voters in a national referendum.
Mr Abe’s speech yesterday was relatively short as he is expected to deliver another in two months during the upcoming ordinary Diet session scheduled to convene in January.