Abe government faces host of diplomatic tests ahead of election

October 5, 2017

TOKYO- The government of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe faces an array of diplomatic tests in the lead-up to the crucial Oct. 22 general election for the House of Representatives, the all-important lower chamber of the Diet, the country's parliament.

Since Abe started his current tenure as prime minister in December 2012 following his Liberal Democratic Party's return to power, the Japanese leader has put the highest priority on deepening the Japan-US alliance in his administration's diplomatic and security policies.

His heavy focus on the bilateral alliance is aimed at helping Japan better respond to North Korea, which is continuing nuclear and missile development, and China, which is accelerating maritime expansion.

But experts point to the risk of Japan's Self-Defense Forces getting involved in warfare as the SDF is increasingly operating with the US military following the enforcement of Japan's national security laws last year and the revision of the guidelines on Japan-US defense cooperation in 2015.

It remains difficult for Japan to mend fences with China and South Korea, and the outlook is murky for Japan-Russia negotiations on the two countries' longstanding territorial row over four Russian-held northwestern Pacific islands.

"I've held rounds of phone talks with US President Donald Trump over North Korea and firmly responded to the country while closely examining the situation," Abe said in a street speech in the city of Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture, northeast of Tokyo, on Wednesday, emphasizing the strong Japan-US alliance.

Abe and Trump have had four meetings this year. When North Korea escalated its provocations through ballistic missile launches and a nuclear test in August and September, the two leaders held a series of phone talks to discuss how to deal with the situation, laying the foundation for the UN Security Council to unanimously adopt a new sanctions resolution against Pyongyang, including a limit on exports of crude oil and oil products to the reclusive nation. Jiji Press