Shinzo Abe was recently re-elected for his second term as Prime Minister after the December 16 General Election . The victory of his Liberal Democratic Party over the Democratic Party of Japan reflects what some observers have described as an overall shift towards the right in Japan.
Abe is often described as hawkish, uncompromising, and as having a strongly pro-Japanese position. Critics assumed that attitude would be reflected in the way he dealt with the Takeshima and Senkaku territorial disputes which soured relations with South Korea and China, and many feared that this would only worsen relations.
He has surprised many observers, however, by starting the year off with an announcement that he wants to improve relations with Korea. Right-wing netizens were especially quick to respond to the news.
From Yahoo! News:
Abe wants to repair Japan-Korea relations: ‘I want to get off to a good start’
On January 1, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe met with the LDP Minister of Finance Nukaga Fukushirō who will be sent as an envoy on January 4 to the newly elected South Korean President Park Geun-hye, in his private Tokyo residence and said that ‘As a neighbouring country with which we share values such as democracy, South Korea is most important. Both of our nations have new administrations beginning, therefore I want to make this a good starting point for us both. I want [Nukaga] to convey my feelings clearly.’
The Prime Minister’s statement shows his strong desire for a quick repair of relations with Korea, which cooled after confrontations resulting from the territorial claims on Takeshima Island in Shimane Prefecture. The Prime Minister is seizing the opportunity of the inauguration of a new government in South Korea and decided to dispatch Mr. Nukaga, who is a member of the non-partisan Japan-Korea Parliamentarians’ Union, from the LDP leadership.
Comments from Yahoo! News:
ADUADUさん:
There is no need for good relations. I want Abe to be as strong-willed as he usually is.
SAKURAGHIさん：
Please bring an independent lawsuit against them.
ガリガリ無理、むっちり好きさん：
Prime Minister Abe, please just stop. This is impossible.
ganbereuguさん：
Let’s stop joining this crappy ship of lies which is we all know is gonna sink.
kao**400*010さん：
Abe-chan, give us a break.
漢会さん：
It seems that it was a Korean who hacked into the Ministry of Agriculture. The people who voted for you expect you to eradicate Koreans, Chinese, and North Koreans. We’re counting on you!
NAKA-Gさん：
Korea should recognize that Takashima was declared Japanese territory by an international tribunal first!
tanさん：
Strange compromises aren’t allowed.
m**さん：
Don’t move your position an inch!
ノンポリくんさん:
Please get them to actually remove Korean troops in Takeshima.
土ころびさん：
This is good as a public image. But I don’t want us to have any relations with a nation and a people who ask others to bow before them.
hirochinさん：
Korea is the only country in the world to ignore diplomatic etiquette and insult His Majesty the Emperor (grrr). This won’t do unless there is an apology to His Majesty.
LANさん：
We don’t need to restore relations if it means Japan humbling itself.
大和さん：
Everyone is so annoyingly over-sweet to Korea. China with its huge market at least has merits for financial reasons but there are only bad things and not one single advantage with Korea.
中韓のないみんなの明るい世界さん:
Mr. Abe, haven’t you learnt yet? Or is this perhaps some kind of strategy?
yxatomさん：
If he doesn’t offer a more delicate explanation to the Japanese people about this, he’ll lose the summer election. What’s the point of fixing relations? I just can’t understand what the aim of fixing relations is.
リチャード・スターキーさん:
We don’t need this shit! We should just cut economic support and diplomatic relations all together!
負け犬大佐さん:
I want relations to be severed!
mko1430さん:
That would be great if we recovered Takeshima and because of that they improved their attitude.
ふじぼうさん:
Get Takeshima back!
