A Comparative Study Of Koizumi's And Abe's China Policy

With the slogan of reviving Japan,Abe was elected as Prime Minister of Japan again in December 2012 and re-elected to the present,which ends the situation of constant turnover in their leadership since Koizumi.Meanwhile,the international situation is undergoing dramatic changes.The international system led by the United States is confronting unprecedented changes and challenges.The strength and influence of the United States and Europe are relatively declining,while emerging countries such as China and Russia are rising.The transition of international power and the trend of world multipolarization has becoming increasingly obvious.This change is particularly evident in East Asia.As China's GDP surpassed Japan in 2010 and the military power has improved over the past few decades,China takes more tough stance of diplomatic policy to Japan,which brings them "strategy anxiety".Thus,when Abe served as Prime Minister of Japan again,he actively followed the United States' policy to contain China,and even implemented the"comprehensive containment" policy to China.Furthermore,Abe adopted"desinicization policy" to China not only in politics and security,but in economics to impede China's economic development.At the same time,Abe's government lifted the right of collective self-defense in 2015,which drastically transformed Japan's security system and pushed Japan to an "Normal State".The Abe government's"comprehensive containment" policy against China has caused the constant tension between the two countries,and accordingly,economic and trade contacts have been seriously affected.Sino-Japanese relations appears the phenomenon of "cold politics and cold economy".The current Sino-Japanese relationship reminds us of that during the Koizumi' administration sixteen years ago.The international situation has changed dramatically since the end of the Cold War in 1991.In the meantime,with the burst of "bubble economy" and the collapse of"Fifth Five-Year Plan Period system",Japan fell into long economic stagnation and political chaos periods.Given this,Japan began to adjust the national strategy and established the "Normal State"line aiming to become a political and military power.With the advent of the 21st century,the further development of world multipolarization and China's rise exacerbated Japan's sense of urgency.After Koizumi came to power in April 2001,he aggressively promoted the "Normal State"strategy.The Koizumi government began to make significant adjustments in dealing with China.On the one hand,Koizumi thought the continuous development of China's economy and domestic stability was very important for prosperity and security of the Asian-Pacific region and Japan;on the other hand,he considered China's rise,especially the growth of military power as a threat to Japan and an obstacle to its leadership in Asia.Therefore,during the years of Koizumi's governing,Japan maintained close cooperation with China in economics but took a tough stance to China in politics.Through consolidating the Japan-U.S.alliance and strengthening cooperation with neighboring countries,Japan intended to contain China's growing influence and ensure its leadership in Asia.Due to Koizumi's tough policy toward China,Sino-Japanese relations have fallen into historical troughs during this period.Koizumi and Abe have many similarities.They are both the hard line conservatives in the Liberal Democratic Party and were born in the political family.By studying the characteristics and changes of Japan 's policy to China during the Koizumi and Abe regime,it is meant to find out their similarities and differences and analyze the influencing factors and the future trend of Sino-Japanese relations.This will help China adjust its foreign policy to Japan,making it more targeted,to effectively defend national sovereignty and safeguard national interests.