Meet Japans new PM_高级精读

 

shinzo abe, aged 52, has already given signs that he is something more than just the youngest prime minister of japan since world war ii. he will also be one of its most hawkish ones. his appointment came on tuesday.

unlike previous prime ministers, abe has shown doubt about the tokyo trials where japan's leaders were charged after world war ii. he has also implied that he rejected the view that japan invaded other asian countries during the war.

political move

"it is not necessarily appropriate for politicians to make judgments on history," he said. so he avoided repeating a landmark apology issued in 1995 by japan to asian countries for its wartime conducts.

in fact, it is his hawkish views that helped abe's political rise. he was an ordinary parliament member after 1993. then in 2002, he sprang into the public light because of his harsh criticism of the democratic people's republic of korea (dprk). that year, the dprk was revealed to have kidnapped 13 japanese during the 1970s and 80s to help train its spies.

abe's frequent appearances on television condemning the dprk made him better known. such actions also helped raise him to secretary general of the liberal democratic party (ldp) in 2003. one year later, he was elected chief cabinet secretary, his first cabinet post.

abe's hawkish views is said to be due to the influence of his grandfather, nobusuke kishi. kishi ran japan's economy during world war ii. he was involved in the japanese army's invasion of northeast china.

after the war, kishi was arrested — but never charged ?for alleged war crimes. he went on to become prime minister in the late 1950s. abe's father, shintaro abe, was foreign minister in the early 1980s.

in his personal life, however, abe has tended to be anything but hawkish. he's married, without children, and is devoted to his wife, akea, seven years his junior.

soft as a rock

abe also shares a sense of style and regularly features at the top of japan's best-dressed lists. he even appeared on a talk show to announce that his favourite food was ice cream.

"in his appearance and his way of speaking he's soft," said hakubun shimomura, an ldp lawmaker. "abe has cultivated a soft image that has taken the sharp edges off his strong views.

"but on the inside, he's rock solid. he sticks to his principles and won't compromise."

abe plans to put his country on a different course

* revise the constitution to allow japanese troops to take a greater role in overseas peacekeeping missions.

* repair ties with china and south korea. relations cooled down after junichiro koizumi's visits to the yasukuni shrine.

* continue japan's effort to become the permanent member of the un security council

* cut public spending on welfare to reduce the government deficit.

* reform education, which still follows guidelines set by the us during the its post-war occupation, to emphasize japan's moral values.

chief cabinet secretary: 内阁官房长官
deficit: 赤字

hawkish: 鹰派的，强硬的
tokyo trial: 东京审判
yasukuni shrine: 靖国神社