By Ankit Panda
2015 is the 70th anniversary of the end of the Second World War. How will Northeast Asia handle the milestone?
Longtime Diplomat readers might remember that the final days of 2013 were slightly more turbulent than the final days of 2014, at least as far as Northeast Asian diplomacy was concerned. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe decided to visit the controversial Yasukuni Shrine at the end of 2013, drawing sharp reactions from both South Korea and China. While Yasukuni may no longer realistically be on Abe’s agenda since Japan’s economic woes look to have returned, leaving relatively less political capital available for nationalist muscle flexing compared to the situation in late-2013. Despite this, the fact that 2015 is the 70th anniversary of the end of the Second World War means we’re in for an interesting year in Northeast Asia regardless.
While the anniversary itself is a somewhat arbitrary milestone, the occasion will understandably draw statements of reflection from across the world and Northeast Asia is no exception. How Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s (LDP) more conservative elements, including Abe himself, conduct themselves in the coming year will have important ramifications on the continuing salience of historical issues in keeping Japan from resolving its ongoing differences with China and South Korea.
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