Japan Press Weekly

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2013 January 16 - 22 [POLITICS]

Abe asking NATO for help to cope with China reveals his ignorance

Prime Minister Abe Shinzo will reportedly send a foreign affairs envoy to enlist cooperation from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in the face of China’s advances into the seas around Japan, demonstrating that his foreign policy expertise is lacking.

When NATO itself has conflicting interests, there is no way that NATO would take sides with only Japan in the current maritime issue between Japan and China.

NATO promotes exchanges of visits by high-level officials in order to reinforce relations with the Chinese military. Many of the major members like Germany have had a good relationship with China in such fields as diplomacy and trade.

NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen in February 2010 expressed his intention to strengthen ties with China and in September 2011 declared that he does “not consider China as a threat” in a Xinhuashe interview.

By seeking the assistance of NATO to deal with Japan’s problems with its neighbor, Abe is displaying his stupidity. If he believes that NATO will side with Japan in building a coalition against China, he is delusional.