Opinion | How Kishida is inching Japan towards a more China-friendly stance
- The new leader wants to focus on post-pandemic economic growth and sustainability, and that may mean more dealings with China
- Kishida cannot afford to fuel tensions with Beijing by taking sides with Washington and is treading a fine line on issues such as Taiwan, Xinjiang and the Olympics
Fumio Kishida, Japan’s new prime minister, may become the nation’s first leader in the post-Cold-War era to not have visited Washington in the first 10 months of his term, without a specific reason.
The only exceptions are Tsutomu Hada, who spent only 64 days as leader in 1994, and Emperor Hirohito, who spent just five days in the United States during his reign.
Kishida wants to avoid the fate of his predecessor Yoshihide Suga, who took time off during last year’s Diet to visit Washington while coronavirus cases were surging, leading to a decline in his approval ratings and ultimately his resignation on September 3.
Under Japan’s landmark economic policy, Abenomics, the Nikkei Stock Index more than doubled in the nine years to 2021. However, real GDP was up only 0.5 per cent per year while the United States enjoyed 2 per cent growth on average. Abenomics also widened the gap between the rich and poor.
