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TOKYO: Japan’s new Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda said
Wednesday he will work to keep improving relations with Asian neighbors
while maintaining the close alliance with the United States.
Fukuda, who was installed by
parliament Tuesday, has developed a reputation throughout his career
as a dove on ties with Asia which are often fraught with tension
over wartime memories.
“I will push for an active
Asian diplomacy with the aim of even greater achievements, as the
stronger Japan-US alliance and the progress in Asian relations
resonate together,” Fukuda said in a statement approved at his
first cabinet meeting.
Fukuda succeeded conservative
premier Shinzo Abe, who helped mend ties with China and South Korea
but was also a passionate champion of building a more assertive
Japan prouder of its past.
Fukuda reiterated he would carry
on Abe’s push to renew a naval mission supporting US-led forces in
Afghanistan, which the opposition has vowed to end after winning
July elections for the upper house of parliament.
Fukuda said the basis of
Japan’s diplomacy was “a stable US-Japan alliance and
international cooperation.”
Japan, the world’s second
largest economy, has been officially pacifist since defeat in World
War II and relies on US military protection.
Fukuda was ceremonially sworn in
Wednesday as he headed toward a showdown with the resurgent
opposition amid growing calls for snap elections.
A day after he was installed by
parliament, Fukuda and his cabinet arrived at the sprawling palace
in central Tokyo where they were formally invested by Emperor
Akihito.
--AFP
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