Abe’s quest to revive Japan

WASHINGTON, DC: It may not be obvious during Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s choreographed visit to Washington this week, but he’s a study in contradictions. The dissonance actually helps explain how Abe is trying to revive a moribund Japan.

Abe is a deeply conservative man who has become an “accidental progressive” in his drive to shake up the Japanese economy, a close aide says. He wants to express “remorse” for Japan’s wartime actions without formally apologizing for them. He wants a more assertive military role for a nation that has made pacifism part of its national identity. He rules an aging, tradition-bound country that seeks a vigorous, innovative future.