Abe’s visit to the US: Opportunities and challenges

During his visit to the US, Abe will discuss Tokyo’s possibility of joining the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP), the future of Japan-US security and economic cooperation, and the nuclear crisis on the Korean peninsula.

He is scheduled to meet with President B. Obama and Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida will meet his US counterpart John Kerry.

President Obama (R) shakes hands with PM Abe in Washington  on Feb. 22 (Photo: Reuters)

Abe will deliver a speech in Washington DC on Japan’s economic policy to restore its growth and deal with prolonged deflation.

Speaking prior to Abe’s departure, Obama’s press secretary said the US President expected that his discussions with Prime Minister Abe will go deep into bilateral, regional and global issues including the US-Japan security treaty, economic and trade issues.

However, analysts said that Pyongyang’s recent nuclear test would dominate the two leaders’ discussions.

In a telephone conversation on February 13, Obama and Abe agreed to work closely to settle the Korean nuclear crisis, including imposing more sanctions against Pyongyang.

Obama said the US will honor its national defense commitments with Japan, including expanding the operation of US nuclear shields.

During their meeting in Washington DC, the two leaders are likely to discuss the joint management of monetary flows from international financial markets to Pyongyang.

The relationship between the two countries is expected to be enhanced after languishing under Abe’s predecessor Yoshihiko Noda.

After the Lower House election in December 2012, Abe stressed that the strategic focus in Japan’s foreign policy is to strengthen relations with the US in security and economics.

During Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida’s visit to the US last month, former US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton underlined the need to deepen the US-Japan alliance in the near future.

However, the two countries remained conflicted over Japan’s participation in TPP Agreement. Analysts say Abe must show a positive attitude toward the agreement to gain the trust of the Obama administration.

This will be no easy task. Many congressmen inside and outside the Liberal Democratic Party oppose the TPP, fearing that this agreement would impact  Japan’s agro market, especially rice and meat.

A few weeks before the US visit, Japan agreed to loosen restrictions on beef imports from the US, one of the conditions that the US set before TPP negotiations could begin. This move did not seem to satisfy the US.