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Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe appears on a camera screen while speaking to the Diet on Jan. 22. (Yonhap News)

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe appeared to further downgrade his country’s relationship with South Korea in policy speech before the Diet of Japan on Jan 22. His remarks seemed to be a response to follow-up measures recently announced by Seoul in connection with the two sides’ 2015 agreement on the Japanese military comfort women issue.

Abe’s speech for the opening of the Diet’s regular session did not include a description of South Korea as Japan’s “most important neighbor,” which has been used since 2015. In his 2013 and 2014 speeches, Abe called South Korea Japan’s “most important neighbor, which shares our basic values and interests,” but the reference to “basic values” has been omitted since 2015.

In 2016, Abe began referring to South Korea as Japan’s “most important neighbor, which shares strategic interests” – the implication being that South Korea does not share basic values such as democracy, basic human rights, and the rule of law. With this year’s speech, even the reference to it as Japan’s “most important neighbor, which shares our interests” was absent.

Mentioning South Korean President Moon Jae-in by name in connection with relations between Seoul and Tokyo, Abe said only that Japan would be “intensifying a future-oriented partnership for a new era on the existing foundation of international pledges and mutual trust established to date.” The message was seen as a roundabout expression of discontent with the South Korean government’s declaration late last year that the comfort women issue had not been resolved with the two governments’ agreement.

Delivering a foreign affairs speech after Abe’s remarks, Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono was more direct about revealing Tokyo’s feelings.

“The Japan-South Korea agreement was a pledge by the two countries that confirmed a final and irreversible resolution to the comfort women issue. To uphold it conforms to international and universal principle,” Kono said.

“Japan has faithfully honored its pledges according to the Japan-South Korea agreement, and we continue to strongly demand that South Korea act responsibility and faithfully implement the agreement,” he added.

In contrast with his views on South Korea, Abe showed a strong commitment to improving ties with China.

“This year marks the 40th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Peace and Friendship between Japan and China,” he noted, adding that he planned to pursue “great advancements in interchange between citizens of both countries in areas such as the economy, culture, and sports.”

“At a suitable time, I will be visiting China, and Chinese President Xi Jinping will be visiting Japan as soon as it is possible for him,” Abe said, declaring plans to usher relationships with Beijing to the next level.

Abe also announced Japan’s plans to cooperate on the One Belt One Road Initiative and “work with China to meet Asia’s growing infrastructure demand.” While Abe mentioned South Korea ahead of China in last year’s speech, the order this year was reversed.

In addition, Abe further underscored his commitment to amending Japan’s Constitution.

“I look forward to making progress going forward as each party bringing a concrete Constitutional plan to the Diet and Constitutional review committee discussions intensify,” he said.

Abe also showed his intense commitment to an amendment during a general meeting of the Liberal Democratic Party lawmakers ahead of his speech.

“The time has come for this to finally happen,” he declared during the meeting.

In the speech, Abe expressed hopes to beef up Japan’s military strength, including a “reexamination of our defense outline by the end of the year.” In addition to a land-based Aegis Ashore system for North Korean missile interception, Abe also announced plans to introduce “standoff missiles” – the term used by Japan’s Defense Ministry to refer to long-range cruise missiles.

Noting that 2018 marks the 150th anniversary of the Meiji Restoration, Abe mentioned quotes by such Meiji-era figures as Kenjiro Yamakawa and Sakichi Toyoda. His aim appeared to be to emphasize the Meiji Restoration’s status as a shining period in Japanese history and link it to the need for an amendment of the Constitution.

By Cho Ki-weon, Tokyo correspondent

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