Abe Backs Up ASEAN on Maritime Security, Prods China

Prime Minister of Japan Shinzo Abe’s support of Vietnam and the Philippines has generated more tension in his countries relations with China. In mid-April, China placed an oil rig in contested waters of the South China Sea. At the Asian Security Summit in Singapore, Abe denounced China for using “force and intimidation to change the status quo” with the oil rig. The article notes that Japan is studying the possibility of providing patrol ships to Vietnam. Abe’s political agenda aims to remodel the “nation’s security apparatus to better address an increasingly assertive China and North Korea’s missile and nuclear development programs,” reports Kyodo News in the Japan Times. “Abe emphasized that Japan will continue to be a pacifist state that makes greater contributions to global peace.” The fulcrum to Japan’s support is strengthening ties with the United States and South East Asian countries to counter China’s ascent. To keep China in check, Abe must find a fine equilibrium between militarist and pacifist tactics. – YaleGlobal