 |
| Shinzo Abe (File Photo) |
By Clint Richards
Abe’s government is anticipating regional events by visiting with key partners over the next month.
There has been quite a bit of Japanese diplomatic activity over the last week. The biggest announcement has been the upcoming visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Japan on July 3 and 4, which given his relationship with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, has been highly anticipated since his election last month. Additionally, Philippine President Benigno Aquino will visit Japan on June 24 for a meeting with Abe, in which recent Chinese actions in the South China Sea will likely feature prominently. Going abroad, Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida is finalizing the details of a planned trip to Ukraine in July, and Abe is also planning a diplomatic tour this summer with a trip through Latin America in late July. The Japanese government appears intent on pushing forward with its foreign policy agenda over the next month.
Modi’s visit will be the most anticipated. Not only do the two leaders share an affinity for each other, their leadership styles, economic policies and nationalist tendencies have much in common. Beyond their similarities, there is much on the table to discuss between the two countries. As my colleague Ankit has pointed out, Abe sees large opportunities in an expanding relationship with India, and trade and cooperation in civil nuclear development are expected to be discussed during their talks. As Japan’s nuclear reactors remain offline, its nuclear power producers are eager to expand further into markets abroad in order to remain profitable. Japanese businesses have generally shown a recent trend toward growth this year, and record Japanese capital expenditures in the first quarter might entice India to open further to FDI.
Read the full story at The Diplomat