Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe held a press conference at the Prime Minister's residence on the afternoon of the 28th, announcing his resignation as prime minister due to health reasons and that he will continue to perform his duties as prime minister until his successor is elected.
At about 5 pm on the 28th local time, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe officially announced his resignation as prime minister at a press conference. Image source: Screenshot of NHK video
Chinanews.com interviewed Fan Xiaoju, director of the Northeast Asia Research Institute of the China Institute of Contemporary International Relations, and interpreted Abe's decision to resign, the future trend of Japan's political situation, etc., and also looked forward to the future of China-Japan relations.
The interview transcript is as follows: How to interpret the resignation of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe for physical reasons?
According to Abe's statement at the press conference, he has relapsed since June of ulcerative colitis. Although his condition has been controlled after taking the medicine, he has not been completely cured, and he cannot guarantee that he will return to health during the critical period of epidemic prevention and control this winter. If he cannot perform his duties by then, there will be a "political vacuum" in Japan. To avoid this situation, he chose to resign at this time. This logic seems self-evident, but it is not yet known whether the Japanese people will approve it.
Considering that this is the second time he has proposed to resign, it is normal for the Japanese people to criticize him, and it is even inevitable. In particular, the current epidemic in Japan is not well controlled, the number of infections continues to increase, and the Tokyo Olympics scheduled to be held next year have not yet arrived. Under this circumstance, his resignation may lead to a certain degree of instability in the Japanese political situation, which the Japanese people do not want to see.
Data map: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe during the COVID-19 pandemic.
What impression will Abe's reporter leave on you?
A very prominent feeling is that from Abe's statement, he feels regretful about his resignation, not only for physical reasons, but also because some of his political ambitions have not been realized. For example, North Korea’s "hostage kidnapping" issue, Japan-Russia territorial disputes, and constitutional amendment issues. These are the goals he tried to achieve during his administration, but from the current point of view, none of them have been achieved, and there is no hope of achieving them during his tenure. Therefore, considering various aspects and continuing to do it, it may cause more harm than good, so he chose to resign. Judging from the information disclosed by the Japanese media, Abe's successor may still be an "old face." Can you analyze the possible changes in the Japanese political situation in the future?
Indeed, the current candidates for successors are all "old faces", but they have their own advantages and disadvantages. Within the Liberal Democratic Party, the "one strong" situation formed during Abe's administration may be difficult to maintain in the future, and a "multiple strong" situation may emerge. There may be some factional fights during the brewing of successor candidates. Abe repeatedly stated at the press conference that he would not express support for a particular successor candidate. What are the considerations behind his statement?
Obviously it is not the time yet. The factions within the Liberal Democratic Party have already been "moved", and they are expected to go through internal communication for a period of time and prepare candidates. What is certain is that the confirmation of the successor will not be the decision of Abe alone. There will be necessary procedures within the party, and the determination of procedures requires consensus within the party. Therefore, he is currently inconvenient to express his position.
Data map: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
Before deciding on its successor, will Japan be affected in the prevention and control of the epidemic and preparations for the Tokyo Olympics?
The prevention and control of the epidemic is currently Japan's priority. As Abe first mentioned at the press conference, it is the matter of epidemic prevention. He said that his resignation may indeed have a certain impact on the epidemic prevention and fight against the epidemic, so he also made it very clear that the Japanese government must maintain the consistency of the epidemic prevention policy in the future. The eventual holding of the Tokyo Olympics also directly depends on the prevention and control of the epidemic. In this sense, he feels he has a responsibility to prevent the Japanese epidemic from getting worse. Abe's resignation marks the end of an era in Japanese politics. In your opinion, as the prime minister with the longest consecutive term in office, what profound imprints did he leave on Japan?
Compared with previous prime ministers, the most significant change that Abe has brought to Japan is that Japanese politics has finally achieved "long-term stability". Before he became prime minister for the second time, Japan's political situation basically changed to another prime minister every other year, and the political situation was very unstable. Correspondingly, policies have fluctuated in succession. Since Abe came to power, the economic policies of the Abe administration have had a relatively strong continuity, and "Abenomics" has also achieved some goals. This is an important factor that supports his long-term governance. In addition, measures such as lifting the ban on the exercise of collective self-defense have had a profound impact on Japan's diplomacy and security.
Author: Diao Ocean