Japan’s Abe rebuffs China invite to military parade
naky
www.diecastingpartsupplier.com
2015-08-25 11:57:14
Japan’s prime minister has rebuffed China’s invitation to a military parade marking the end of the second world war in a setback to relations between East Asia’s two largest economies.
“Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will not attend the ceremony,” Yoshihide Suga, chief cabinet secretary, said on Monday. “The decision is based on the situation in parliament?.?.?.?and we have communicated this to the Chinese.”
The Japanese prime minister’s decision to skip the ceremony suggests that he is wary of being humiliated at a celebration of Japan’s defeat 70 years ago, outweighing the opportunity to improve neighbourly ties.
There has been a thaw in relations between Tokyo and Beijing since Mr Abe met Chinese president Xi Jinping last November, but the decision not to attend casts a shadow over that progress.
Mr Suga said Mr Abe had to stay in Tokyo to deal with security bills passing through parliament. The legislation would reinterpret Japan’s pacifist constitution, making it easier for its military to fight in defence of allies.
Deciding whether to attend the Chinese parade has caused heartache for many national leaders, who have no wish to rebuff the rising superpower, but worry about becoming props in a display of military might.
Last week, South Korean president Park Geun-hye opted to attend, joining the leaders of the Czech Republic, Russia, Egypt, Serbia, Mongolia and four central Asian nations.
Mr Abe is eager for a summit meeting with Mr Xi, and Japanese officials had considered whether he could skip the military parade but still attend other parts of the ceremony.
Hopes of a meeting between the two leaders were raised after China and South Korea gave a subdued response to Mr Abe’s statement on the 70th anniversary of the end of the war last week.
The decision to stay away thwarts Mr Abe’s quest for a high profile China summit. Attending the parade might have facilitated meetings with Russia’s Vladimir Putin and Ms Park of Korea on the sidelines.