Japan's softspoken PM Abe tries to click with Bush

By Staff
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Google Oneindia News

TOKYO, Apr 26 (Reuters) Seven months after becoming Japan's prime minister, Shinzo Abe has seen his popularity eroded by doubts about his leadership and coolness to his vision of a ''Beautiful Country'' proud of its traditions and respected abroad.

But the soft-spoken Abe may suffer most from comparisons with his predecessor, the colourful Junichiro Koizumi, during a two-day visit to Washington that gets under way today.

Despite similar backgrounds, US President George W Bush and Abe may find it hard to duplicate the warm friendship the president forged with Koizumi, a bonding that helped cement their countries' alliance.

Like Bush, the stylish Abe comes from something of a political dynasty -- his grandfather, Nobusuke Kishi, was prime minister and his father foreign minister.

The two leaders also share a conservative mindset.

''Bush is from a good family, like Abe, but he really likes to enjoy himself -- something he shared with Koizumi.

''If you look at Abe, he isn't really cheery in the same way,'' said political commentator Harumi Arima.

Perhaps making a virtue of necessity, Abe often likens himself to slow-acting traditional Chinese medicine, in contrast to Koizumi, whose combative approach acted as a ''drastic drug''.

Illustrating their different personalities, Koizumi counted ''The Godfather'' among his favourite movies, while Abe this week named ''Yamato'' -- a 2005 film about the giant Japanese battleship sunk on a suicidal mission in the final months of World War Two -- along with the 1979 tear-jerker Kramer vs Kramer.

Abe has won kudos for the improvement seen in Sino-Japanese ties since he made an ice-breaking trip to China soon after taking office. That led to a visit to Japan this month by Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, the first in seven years.

The warmth of Wen's visit, during which he met ordinary Japanese as well as Abe, contrasted with frosty ties under Koizumi, largely due to his annual visits to Yasukuni Shrine, a shrine seen by critics as a symbol of Japan's wartime militarism.

DIPLOMATIC WARMTH Analysts give Abe credit for making the first move, but posit the real reason for the thaw rests with Beijing, which has decided to put history aside for now in favour of economics.

''He was basically lucky, but it's also true that he's made efforts, done some things Koizumi couldn't,'' Arima said.

Abe's nationalistic leanings and need to please his conservative base mean the harmony may not last forever.

He has remained vague about whether he will pay his respects at Yasukuni while in office.

''Expanding trade makes China and Japan important to each other, but many issues could still flare up in the future,'' said Hirokazu Matsumoto, a private political commentator.

At the core of Abe's ''Beautiful Country, Japan'' platform are revising the U.S.-drafted pacifist constitution and becoming an equal security partner of the United States.

But while Abe's support ratings inched up to above 40 per cent following Wen's successful visit, critics say he seems out of touch with voters who would prefer to see more attention paid to pocketbook issues like pension reform.

''The feeling among most people is that they'd like more done on issues that matter to their lives,'' Matsumoto said.

''Abe was raised in a well-off environment, so I'm not sure he gets it.'' REUTERS AM RK1015

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