Abe eager to meet Obama, Xi at Nuclear Security Summit
Source: Kyodo
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is considering attending the Nuclear Security Summit in the Netherlands in March, government officials said Monday.
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If a Japan-U.S. summit takes place in The Hague, Abe is expected to explain his abrasive visit in December to Yasukuni Shrine, which served as the spiritual center for Japan’s war of aggression, they said. Abe’s angered China, South Korea and was criticized by the United States.
The officials said Abe is hoping to “secure U.S. understanding” of his shrine visit and buttress the Japan-U.S. alliance amid China’s more assertive stance over the Japanese-administered Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea.
Since China has rejected Abe’s calls for a summit with Xi amid soured ties over the islets, as well as differences on history, the two governments do not anticipate talks between the two leaders in the near future. The leaders, however, might have an informal exchange if Abe attends the summit.
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Read more: http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2014/01/27/national/abe-eager-to-meet-obama-xi-at-nuclear-security-summit/
