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China issues statute warning as PM Abe returns
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JAPAN’S parliament yesterday confirmed Shinzo Abe for another term as prime minister after his election triumph, but the return to power stirred warnings from China over a bid to change the pacifist constitution.
The lower house voted overwhelmingly for the 60-year-old Abe with 328 votes against 73 for acting opposition leader Katsuya Okada. That was followed by an upper house poll which officially confirmed Abe as premier.
His new cabinet was largely unchanged with Taro Aso returning as deputy premier and finance minister, Fumio Kishida as foreign minister and Yoichi Miyazawa in the industry minister post.
The industry post is a key job that oversees Japan’s nuclear power industry, as Abe looks to restart more atomic reactors shuttered after the 2011 Fukushima accident.
Abe said economic recovery is vital to achieving his key policy goals such as stronger national security and carrying out the most drastic reforms of the economy since World War II.
“My commitment to protecting public safety, lives and happiness is unchanged,” Abe said last night. “We must, of course, deal with many issues, but nothing can be accomplished without a strong economy.”
The only new face in Abe’s team was General Nakatani who replaced Akinori Eto as defense minister, after he declined reappointment in the midst of a political funding scandal.
On top of trying to kickstart the Japan’s economy, Abe has vowed to pursue a nationalist agenda, including persuading a sceptical public of the need to revise the pacifist constitution.
But efforts to alter the charter, imposed by the United States after the end of World War II, have proved divisive at home and strained already tense relations with China. “Abe and his new defense minister ... need to tread carefully,” China’s Xinhua news agency said yesterday.
“They both advocate a stronger role for Japan’s Self-Defense Forces, and the international community should keep a wary eye on them and constantly remind them not to go too far.”
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