[Global Times-Global Network Reporter Xing Xiaojing]On the 2nd, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida went to the United Kingdom to participate in the 26th Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP26), opening a diplomatic debut. The important purpose of Fumio Kishida’s trip was accused of seeking opportunities for the realization of the Japan-US summit within this year. Analysts believe that winning the House of Representatives election has laid a good foundation for the internal affairs and diplomacy of the Kishida regime. Fumio Kishida should serve the people internally and contribute to the world externally.
However, the number of seats in the Japanese House of Representatives with a positive attitude towards constitutional amendment exceeds 2/3 of the total (310 seats), which is enough to initiate the constitutional amendment process. In this regard, an expert on Japanese issues said in an interview with a reporter from the Global Times on the 2nd that the amendment of the constitution itself is not a problem, but the key lies in the content of the amendment. If Japan wants to amend Article 9 of the Constitution and intends to expand its military power, it must remain vigilant. In addition, as far as the current severe situation between China and Japan is concerned, the two countries may not be able to return to the past “honeymoon period” in a short period of time.
According to a report by the Nikkei on the 2nd, leading the Liberal Democratic Party to a sweeping victory in the just-concluded House of Representatives election and the consolidation of the regime are important reasons for Kishida Fumio’s final decision to visit the UK. Fumio Kishida originally planned to attend the G20 Rome summit previously held in Italy, but he was busy with the House of Representatives election but failed to take place. However, COP26 officially opened on October 31, local time. Fumio Kishida was a “half-way participant” and planned to return to Japan on the 3rd. The schedule was quite tight.
According to reports, the reason why Kishida Fumio is obsessed with participating in COP26 is that it is “the few opportunities for face-to-face communication with foreign heads of state.” During the meeting, Fumio Kishida plans to hold talks with British Prime Minister Johnson, and is expected to have the opportunity to “stand up and talk” with US President Biden. Moreover, Fumio Kishida’s trip has another important purpose-to contact the United States, strive to visit the United States within this year, and realize the first Japan-US summit meeting since he took office. Kishida said that to deal with the “threat” from China and North Korea, a stable Japan-US relationship is essential.
In the just-concluded Japanese House of Representatives election, the ruling coalition of the Liberal Democratic Party (261 seats) and the Komeito Party (32 seats) won a total of 293 seats out of the 465 seats in the House of Representatives. The target even exceeds the 244 seats of the “stable majority” and reaches the 261 seats of the “absolutely stable majority”.
Liu Qingbin, a special-appointed professor at Yokohama National University, observed the election process up close in Japan. On the 2nd, he said in an interview with a reporter from the Global Times that the “better than expected” results of the House of Representatives election made Kishida Fumio “harder”, even if When he met Biden in the UK, the greedy conversations could no longer satisfy him. He is trying his best to visit the United States at the end of this year or early next year, hoping to realize the Japan-US summit meeting as soon as possible.
“Winning the House of Representatives election shows that Fumio Kishida’s internal affairs are basically stable, and the next step depends on his diplomatic performance.” The director of the Institute of Northeast Asia of the Heilongjiang Academy of Social Sciences told the Global Times reporter on the 2nd that Fumio Kishida was in the cabinet of Abe. During his tenure as Minister of Foreign Affairs for nearly five years, he has both first-line work experience and international connections, coupled with his dovish diplomatic style, so don’t worry too much about his performance on the diplomatic level.”
According to Kasumi, there have been voices who questioned that Fumio Kishida’s supremacy relied mainly on the support of the party factions. The results of this election showed that the people basically recognized the Kishida regime, which was also a great improvement for Fumio Kishida himself. Kishida will be “more confident” and will reduce resistance in implementing party reforms, anti-epidemic countermeasures under the epidemic, economic policies, Congress operations, and personnel arrangements, and its policies will be easier to find a foothold. He also said that the ruling coalition has gained a certain degree of trust, reflecting the Japanese people’s desire for political stability. If Fumio Kishida did not have much difference in the process of ruling, the trend of long-term ruling has basically taken shape.
Whether Japan amends the constitution is the focus of outside attention. According to Japanese media reports such as Yomiuri Shimbun, the number of seats in the House of Representatives with a positive attitude towards constitutional amendments exceeds 2/3 of the total (310 seats), which is enough to initiate the constitutional amendment process. Kishida Fumio also stated many times that he “will work hard to amend the constitution.”
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said in a regular press conference on the 1st that we have stated China’s position many times and hope that Japan will stick to the path of peaceful development. Opportunities and challenges coexist in the current Sino-Japanese relations. We hope that the Japanese side will earnestly learn from the experience and lessons of the relations between the two countries, abide by the principles established in the four political documents between China and Japan, and fully implement the principle that China and Japan are mutually cooperative partners and do not pose a threat to each other. Political consensus and take practical actions to maintain and promote the healthy and stable development of China-Japan relations.
So, how do we think that Japan is very likely to initiate a constitutional amendment procedure? In response to a question from a reporter from the Global Times, Da Zhigang said, “Amending the Constitution itself is not a problem, the key lies in the content of the amendment.” He explained that in responding to the new crown pneumonia epidemic, Japan has exposed legal shortcomings, which really need to be improved. For example, it is not a problem to include provisions such as the role that the government can play in major natural disasters, and to consolidate the content of the constitution from the perspective of protecting the people.
Da Zhigang pointed out that if Japan wants to amend Article 9 of the Constitution and intends to expand Japan’s military power, it must remain vigilant. Japan should fully consider the feelings of neighboring countries, especially those countries that have suffered aggression, and make judgments cautiously. Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution clearly stipulates that “Japanese citizens sincerely seek international peace based on justice and order, and will forever renounce wars, threats of force, or the use of force as a means of resolving international disputes based on national power.” “In order to achieve the previous project, It does not maintain the army, navy, air force and other warfare forces, and does not recognize the country’s right to war.”
In the House of Representatives election, the former secretary general of the Liberal Democratic Party, Liming, “upset” was defeated in the 13 districts of Kanagawa Prefecture. This was the first time that the secretary general of the Liberal Democratic Party was defeated since the founding of the party in 1955. Although “resurrected” in the proportional constituency, Kam Liming took the blame and resigned, and Kishida Fumio plans to arrange for Foreign Affairs Minister Toshi Motegi to take over. Moreover, Ichiro Ozawa, a veteran Cadet politician, lost the election in a small constituency for the first time since he was elected to the House of Representatives in 1969, and was “resurrected” through a proportional constituency.
The “big men” of the ruling party and the opposition parties have lost. Zhigang believes that this reflects the dissatisfaction of Japanese society with the “elder politics” and “big men’s manipulation” in the entire political arena. There is room for further growth.
It is worth noting that the two sons of the conservative politician Shintaro Ishihara and Ishihara Nobuaki and Ishihara Hirotaka, the initiator of the “Island Purchasing” farce on the Diaoyu Islands, both lost. Yasuhide Nakayama, the former deputy defense minister of Japan who has repeatedly spoken out about the Taiwan issue, also lost the election in the House of Representatives.
Liu Qingbin told the “Global Times” reporter, “It cannot be said that the anti-China faction has been’trial’, but it can be said that almost all extremists in the Japanese political arena have lost the election. This shows that Japanese voters are asking the Kishida regime to be more objective and neutral in diplomacy. Intensify efforts to develop the economy. Japan’s economic growth mainly relies on China rather than the United States. Japanese people see this clearly.
Liu Qingbin emphasized that Fumio Kishida was trusted by the voters, and the extremists were also ousted by the voters. It can be said that this House of Representatives election has laid a good foundation for the internal affairs and diplomacy of the Kishida regime. Under such circumstances, Fumio Kishida should not engage in any extreme politics, and should serve the people internally and contribute to the world externally.
There have always been voices in the outside world worrying that the Japanese political arena “turned to the right” and continued to show a tough stance towards China. When talking about the future Sino-Japanese relations, Shizuo Sa said that Fumio Kishida’s previous “relentless remarks” to China could not be ruled out as an “election strategy.” Gaining benefits in the Sino-US game is Japan’s best option. Whether Kishida Fumio can govern according to this line of thought depends on his wisdom and judgment as a politician. The Japanese expert also said that, as far as the current severe situation between China and Japan is concerned, the two countries may not be able to return to the past “honeymoon period” in a short period of time.Return to Sohu to see more
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