How will Fumio Kishida lead Japan?

Kishida's priorities

Editorial
The Statesman, India

New Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's early moves reflect a continuation of his predecessors' policies. He was always seen as the moderate consensus-builder.

But it is the general election tomorrow which he must win to give him stronger backing to leave his mark on the issues he has flagged as being of importance to Japan - from relations with China to the growing domestic income inequality.

The PM is talking about economic security, highlighting the challenges of the gap society in Japan. His emphasis on the virtuous circle between growth and distribution - a clear indicator of his priorities going forward.

Mr Kishida has adopted a markedly more sceptical view towards China than in the past as he tries to hedge the risks of the very strong dependence that Japan has on the Chinese market.

On the central tenets of Japanese foreign policy, Mr Kishida strongly continues to champion a free and open Indo-Pacific and the Quad.

But experts believe his aims are greater and he's likely to undertake further initiatives - the Prime Minister believes that the Indo-Pacific and Quad policies have been win-win propositions which have helped Japan acquire a lot of influence in how other countries are now articulating their views and drafting their strategies towards the region.

Post-election, he's likely to very quickly begin active diplomacy, double down on the pandemic management strategies which are finally showing signs of working and finalise a significant stimulus package.

Kishida's test in ties with China

Yin Xiaoliang
China Daily, China

Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party leader Fumio Kishida inducted new faces in his Cabinet to change the image of the LDP, cultivate new political talents and fulfil the promise he made while running for the LDP's top post.

The Kishida administration faces a raft of challenges on the domestic and foreign fronts, including deflationary pressure due to the stratification of wealth, the Covid-19 pandemic, a low birth rate and an ageing population as well as strained Sino-Japanese relations.

The Japanese government has three choices - establish friendly relations with China; counter China; or follow and strengthen (former prime minister Shinzo) Abe's policy to stabilise China-Japan ties.

Many expect Kishida to stabilise China-Japan ties, given his political experience and Japan's factional politics. Yet Kishida also hyped up the Taiwan question during the LDP's presidential election campaign, and later sent a ritual offering to the controversial Yasukuni Shrine.

Factional politics played a decisive role in Kishida winning the LDP's top post. Within the LDP, different factions support each other due to mutual interest. Thus, factional politics and conservative groups in the LDP will hamper Kishida's foreign and domestic agendas. Besides, the US-Japan alliance restrains Japan to some extent from developing truly friendly relations with China.

Against this backdrop, Japan can hardly adopt a truly independent foreign policy. But by trying to isolate China from regional trade, Japan will harm its own interests because China is Japan's largest trading partner.

If Kishida focuses only on strengthening the US-Japan alliance even after winning the Oct 31 election, he will end up confining Japan in many fields, including trade. But he will win more support from the LDP and the public if he stabilises relations with China.

And since Japan does not have the capability to counter China, the Kishida administration's best choice would be to build a stable and pragmatic Sino-Japanese relationship, in order to boost Japan's economy and narrow the wealth gap in the country.

Disappointing signals

Editorial
Korea Herald, South Korea

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida sent an offering to a controversial war shrine in Tokyo on Oct 17, prompting South Korea to express "deep disappointment and regrets".

Kishida's ritual offering to the shrine is the latest reminder of difficulties in letting South Korea and Japan leave the long-running dispute over their shared history behind them.

It came two days after Kishida held his first phone talks with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, in which a spokesman for Moon said they shared an understanding on the need for developing relations between the two countries in a future-oriented manner.

Seoul-Tokyo ties have been at their lowest ebb in recent years, with Japan reacting strongly against court rulings here on compensation for South Korean victims of wartime forced labour and sexual enslavement.

Japan claimed that all reparation issues related to its colonisation of the peninsula were settled by a 1965 treaty with South Korea that normalised bilateral ties.

The Moon administration has been criticised for neglecting efforts to find a diplomatic solution to historical issues with Tokyo and letting them be further complicated by local court judgments. Since late last year, Seoul has signalled its willingness to improve ties with Tokyo, with Moon affirming in January's news conference that the 2015 deal was a formal accord between the two sides.

Kishida, who is considered more moderate than his two immediate predecessors, Yoshihide Suga and Shinzo Abe, has been expected to take a more practical approach in handling relations with South Korea in the long run. He has mentioned the need to mend frayed ties with Seoul from the viewpoint that trilateral cooperation among South Korea, Japan and the US is crucial to counter nuclear threats from North Korea.

But he appears set to stay on the course taken by Suga and Abe to avoid giving the impression of being soft on Seoul ahead of Japan's Lower House election and probably through its Upper House election next year.