Kishida Boosts European Awareness of Asia Through Talks, But Domestic Issues Still Threaten His Administration

The Yomiuri Shimbun

6:00 JST, July 15, 2024

By Hirotaka Kuriyama / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer

BERLIN — Prime Minister Fumio Kishida completed his visits to the United States and Germany and returned to Japan on Sunday.

Through a North Atlantic Treaty Organization summit and individual talks with his counterparts, Kishida was able to raise the awareness of European leaders about China and North Korea to a certain extent. The prime minister intends to leverage subsequent diplomatic events to promote his abilities to the Japanese public.

However, there are new issues that likely will make it difficult for Kishida to stably manage the government, including recent scandals involving the Defense Ministry.

“It is becoming increasingly clear that the security of the Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific are inseparable,” Kishida said at a joint press conference after Japan-Germany summit talks Friday evening. He also said this awareness was steadily growing in Europe.

Military threats from China and North Korea are growing, and it is vital for Japan to keep Europe interested in East Asia, even through they are geographically distant.

Multiple representatives from countries participating in the NATO summit said on various occasions that today’s Ukraine might be tomorrow’s East Asia. This is a key phrase that Kishida has continually used at various international meetings and other places when referring to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

“It’s unusual that a phrase devised by a Japanese prime minister has become such a popular buzzword,” a close aide to Kishida said. “After Japan’s participation in NATO summits for three consecutive years, the relationship of trust between the two has been strengthened.”

At the latest NATO summit and individual talks, leaders of many countries pointed out that China and North Korea are boosting Russia’s ability to continue the war, according to sources accompanying the prime minister. In the summit declaration, NATO accused Beijing of becoming “a decisive enabler of Russia’s war against Ukraine,” indicating that NATO shares Kishida’s insistence on the indivisibility of security in Asia and Europe.

With his Cabinet approval ratings declining, Kishida’s administration is struggling. Amid these circumstances, Kishida is scheduled to co-chair the Pacific Islands Leaders Meeting to be held from Tuesday to Thursday.

Adjustments are also being made for his visits to Central Asian countries in August. With an eye on the Liberal Democratic Party presidential election in autumn, Kishida is trying to achieve results in the diplomacy at which he excels.

However, Kishida needs to address domestic issues including the Defense Ministry’s mishandling of classified security information categorized as specially designated secrets. The issue may lead to criticism of Kishida, who has pushed ahead with a significant increase in defense spending. Also, criticism of the government and the LDP is unlikely to stop.

Kishida “has no choice but to overcome urgent issues one by one,” a senior government official said.