New Japan leader vows no compromise on islands

Japan’s incoming prime minister Shinzo Abe reiterated his country’s claim to islands at the centre of a dispute with China, where state media called on him to repair bilateral relations frayed by the disagreement.

A day after his Liberal Democratic Party reclaimed power in a landslide, Abe called China “an essential partner for economic growth.” At the same time, he insisted that the sovereignty of the islands, known as Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China, wasn’t an issue.

China’s media response to the election ranged from cautious to stern, with the English-language Global Times saying Chinese leaders must take a “firm stance” toward him. Bilateral relations are at their lowest point since 2005 over the disputed islands, with China stepping up sea and air patrols, and Abe seeking greater control over the chain.

“If this friction creates a spark that leads to a major showdown, that would be unwise and tactless,” Zhu Feng, a professor of international relations at Peking University in Beijing, said in a phone interview. “Maybe Shinzo Abe’s victory will offer a moment for both sides to reconsider what sort of compromise could be reached.”

The LDP, which held power for a half-century of almost unbroken control until it was ousted in 2009, yesterday swept aside Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda’s ruling Democratic Party of Japan. The result ensures Abe will replace Noda, returning him to the office he left in 2007 after a year due to illness.

The idea of Abe as Japan’s leader “has left quite a few people wondering whether Sino-Japanese ties will suffer further setbacks,” Lu Chao, director of the Border Area Research Institute, wrote in the China Daily on Monday.

At a nationally televised press conference, Abe called the relationship with China “one of the most important for Japan,” while adding that “we are not in a situation where we could hold a summit straight away or I could visit China.”