Abe to decide whether to run in LDP race after end of Diet session

January 7, 2018

Tokyo- Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, also president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, told a television program aired Sunday that he will decide whether to run in the LDP leadership election this autumn after the ordinary session of the Diet, Japan's parliament, ends in June. The 150-day Diet session is set to begin on Jan. 22. The session period through June 20 can be extended once. "(In the Diet business) I will concentrate on carrying out what I promised during the campaign period for the House of Representatives election (in October last year)," Abe said in the TV program videotaped by NHK, or Japan Broadcasting Corp., on Saturday. On amendments to the Constitution he and his party hope to make, Abe said he wants to see parliamentary discussions move forward and public understanding of the proposed revisions deepen. Abe welcomed North Korea's move to resume talks with South Korea. "I'd like to give a high mark to Pyongyang showing the stance of cooperating with Seoul for successful holding of the Pyeongchang Olympics and Paralympics (in February)," he said. But the prime minister quickly added that "having dialogue for the sake of dialogue is meaningless." "Meaningful talks should be accompanied by concrete action," he stressed. Reacting harshly to South Korean President Moon Jae-in's remark denouncing the 2015 Japan-South Korea accord to settle the so-called comfort women issue, Abe said, "South Korea should faithfully implement the agreement, which is a state-level commitment." Abe expressed his eagerness to spare no policy effort to bring the Japanese economy out of deflation as soon as possible. But he said he cannot assure that the government will declare deflation's end this year. Jiji Press