Abe signals intent to skip Pyeongchang Olympics

January 16, 2018

Sofia- Visiting Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Monday signaled he does not plan to attend the Pyeongchang Olympics in South Korea next month, citing budget deliberations at an upcoming session of the Diet, Japan's parliament.

"I'll consider it, while looking at the schedule of the Diet," which will start an ordinary session later this month, Abe told reporters in Sofia, Bulgaria's capital. He stressed the need to get the government's fiscal 2018 budget bill enacted as soon as possible.

The Japanese leader is believed to have already made up his mind to skip the Winter Olympics' opening ceremony.

Abe criticized South Korean President Moon Jae-in's administration for urging Japan to make further efforts on the issue of Korean "comfort women," who were forced to serve Japanese soldiers sexually before and during World War II, after his predecessor's administration agreed with Japan to "finally and irreversibly" resolve the issue in December 2015.

"It's an international and universal principle to abide by agreements between countries even after changes of government," Abe stressed. "We believe the issue has been finally resolved."

Abe, president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, welcomed Internal Affairs and Communications Minister Seiko Noda's readiness to run in the party's leadership election, expected to take place in the autumn, when Abe is widely expected to seek reelection.

"Anyone can run for the party leadership, regardless of whether he or she is a member of my cabinet," Abe said.

"I myself will have to start considering (whether to run in the leadership race) around the season when the leaves grow greener," he said.

Meanwhile, the prime minister said that the name of a new Japanese era to start with Crown Prince Naruhito's accession to the throne on May 1, 2019, should be "widely accepted by the people and deeply rooted in their lives."

He revealed a plan for the chief cabinet secretary to announce the next era name, as then Chief Cabinet Secretary Keizo Obuchi did in 1989 at the start of the current era, Heisei.

Regarding calls from some in the LDP for holding a national referendum on constitutional amendment on the same day as next year's House of Councillors election, Abe said the issue should be discussed at the Commission on the Constitution of each chamber of the Diet.

He also underscored the need to listen to people's opinions on holding such a referendum. Jiji Press