Japan’s PM Shinzo Abe to miss China’s second world war anniversary events
Japan's 'Sankei' newspaper says part of the reason Abe will not attend is that, like Western countries, he is worried about China's military expansion in the region
Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will not attend events to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of the second world war in China next month, a Japanese government spokesman confirmed on Monday amid concerns over the mainland’s military ambitions.
About 12,000 troops – mostly Chinese but with contingents from Russia, Mongolia and a few other countries – will march through central Beijing on September 3 in a parade that will be the highlight of events marking the war’s end.
Abe has tried to improve relations with China, but progress has been very slow owing to Japan’s perceived failure to atone for its wartime aggressions and China’s increasingly assertive tone in territorial disputes in the South and East China Seas.
“The prime minister has decided not to attend because of his schedule in parliament,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said.
“He will not be travelling to China shortly before or after September 3. We will continue to seek out ways for our two countries to communicate with each other.”
China’s Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Earlier on Monday national broadcaster NHK said Abe would skip the ceremony in China to focus on collective self defence bills currently being debated in parliament.