Will Shinzo Abe 2.0 remain aggressive? (2)

Abe reveals his nature as hard-core hawk

Has Abe really been "reborn" in just a few years?

"Abe has continued to be a hard-core ring-wing hawk over the past seven years, and all his domestic and foreign policies are based on this identity," said Wang Shaopu, director of Shanghai Jiao Tong University's Center for Pacific Rim Studies.

Japan is facing a domestic and international environment distinctly different from seven years ago. Domestically speaking, the Japanese economy has been hit hard by the global financial crisis, and fallen into a double-dip recession. At the same time, China has replaced Japan as the world's second largest economy, which has filled Japanese with disappointment and unwillingness but created a good opportunity for the rise of right-wing conservative forces.

Internationally speaking, the United States is shifting its strategic focus to the Asia-Pacific region and implementing the rebalancing strategy. Japan, as its ally in the region, cannot sit still and do nothing. In this context, Abe has boldly revealed his true nature as a ring-wing hawk and adopted a series of aggressive policies in order to boost domestic morale, cooperate with allies to obtain regional dominance, and incite nationalist and populist sentiment, which is the easiest way to gain political interests.

Anti-pressure ability is yet to be seen

How long will Abe remain aggressive?

Abe will face the real test as Japan's internal and external problems gradually accumulate to certain extent. Chen believes that Abe can hardly withstand heavy public opinion pressure. Unlike Naoto Kan and Yoshihiko Noda who came out of the lower class and experienced various setbacks in their struggle for success, Abe has a relative low tolerance for pressure, which has something to do with his family background. His distinguished lineage has provided him with strong political capital, but also prevented him from experiencing setbacks.

It is hard to say whether Abe who started strong will end strong.

Read the Chinese version: 2.0版安倍能"强势"多久, source: Jiefang Daily, author:Liao Qin, An Zheng