Echolucent Hope
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on January 6 that Korea, Japan, and China need to have a heart-to-heart talk to deal with the strained diplomatic relations among themselves as of late.
On that day, he visited the Ise Shrine located in Mie Prefecture as his first official activity for this year, and then had a press conference there, adding that the three-way talks are important for regional peace and stability in Northeast Asia.
He also mentioned that no summit talks with Korea and China appear to be on the horizon for now. The remark seems to have to do with his visit to the Yasukuni Shrine on December 26 last year. “I would like to make an explanation with sincerity to China and Korea as to my visit to the shrine and the constitutional amendment issue,” he clarified.