Abe's trip aimed to "thicken" Japan-Europe ties

"Thickening" and "thinning" are two common-use words in the terminology of Weiqi, or go chess, a game played by with black and white pieces on a board of 361 crosses. These terms indicate a state of superiority or inferiority in different zones confronting the players in the game. They can also be applied to the current situation of Japanese ties with the United States and Europe. While having particular "thickening" ties with the U.S., Japan is now in relatively "thinning" ties with Europe.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe left Japan Tuesday for a trip to Europe with an apparent intention of "thickening" its ties with Europe.

In line with former Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's diplomatic thinking, if Japan does a good job in its diplomacy toward the U.S., then there will be absolutely no problems in its external affairs elsewhere in the world. As a matter of fact, when Japan gives particular stresses to its ties with the U.S, it has been plunged into a predicament in its Asian diplomacy and has obviously distanced itself in its relationships with European nations.

Judging from his diplomatic trajectory after his assumption of power, Abe worked to prioritize the dissolution of an impasse with China and the Republic of Korea (ROK) and proceed to "thicken" fragile links. He first visited both China and ROK one week after assuming his premiership, and alleviated to some extent Japan's dilemma in its Asian diplomacy. Then, he toured Philippines after two months in his office, and proposed seven major aid package plans concerning East Asian nations. And three months in office, he selected Europe as the destination for his first visit in 2007, and his purpose is none other than to restore and adjust the diplomatic disequilibrium left over his predecessor. In "thickening" Japan-Europe ties, Abe not only bases himself in reality, but also looks into the future. As this year is a general election year for both Britain and France, Abe is expected to meet and confer with leaders of their ruling and opposition parties, so as to lay groundwork for the future ties with in these two nations.

Abe's Europe trip is also designed to extend Japan's Asia diplomacy, as the country's relationship with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) constitutes the toughest or most thorny issue for Abe in its Asia diplomacy. His attitude was resolute on the "kidnapping" issue before his assumption of his premiership, and he thus won support of ordinary people in Japan. So his diplomacy toward DPRK can be taken as his political asset, which, however, would be turned into a "political pressure" imposed upon him as a prime minister. With the passage of time, it will be one of the immediate causes for a drop in his cabinet support if he is not able to do anything with regard to the Japan-DPRK ties and fails to live up to the expectations of Japanese populace.

During an interview with reporters early this year, Abe noted his country could not normalize its ties with DPRK without the settlement of the "kidnapping" issue. So Japan has to pressurize DPRK on one hand and, on the other hand, to seek dialogue with it for resolving the issue. Moreover, he deems that stepped-up international pressure will facilitate the settlement of the kidnapping issue, so it is acknowledged that he will time and again seek support on this issue during his ongoing Europe trip.

It is also one of the aims of his trip to seek extensive support for Japan's bid for the membership of the UN Security Council. In one of his addresses before he became prime minister, Abe said Japan would play its due role in the UN, apart from maintaining Japanese-US ties. Through the power of opinions of the international community, he assured, Japan will eventually become a member of the UN Security Council and give scope to its leading role then.

In his meeting with reporters at the beginning of 2007, Abe said Japan would truly carry out its "assertive diplomacy" this year, proceeding from its national strategic objective. This represents both the starting and end points for assertions of the new-generation statesmen represented by Abe "to do away with the post-Word War II setup". With the gesture of positive initiative and boldness to speak, they want their country to actively involve in global politics in accordance with their own desires as a member of the UN Security Council, and truly become a big power on an equal footing with the U.S.

Of course, the transfer of "thickening" and "thinning" constitutes a very process that cannot be altered wholly with a single move in the entire layout of a "diplomatic game of chess".

By People's Daily Online; and the author Yu Qing, a People's daily reporter