SUMMARY
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Personal relations matter in the stratosphere of world leaders.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe saw to that, beating other heads of state, notably its rival China, to be the first to visit the country under the administration of President Duterte.
The optics show that Abe and Duterte have reached a significant comfort level – breakfast in the President’s Davao home and tour of the innermost sanctum, the bedroom – that will make communication easier in these uncertain times.
Two big things matter to Japan: its security alliance with the US and rule of law in maritime disputes, particularly the enforcement of the international arbitral ruling on the South China Sea that trashed China’s historical claims.
When Duterte visited Tokyo last year, these were on the agenda and both leaders appeared satisfied with the outcome of the talks.
But Abe cannot rest easy. Duterte, after all, is known for his volatility and shifting views. He once said he wanted the US forces out of Mindanao and the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) scrapped but later backtracked. The latter, which he declared on the eve of his visit to Japan last year, made Tokyo nervous.
Faced with this new reality, Abe has adjusted well.
His smart diplomacy is the result of mixing 2 tracks: the personal – he has designated his adviser Katsuyuki Kawai to be his emissary to Duterte – and the institutional, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Japan is known for its formal, protocol-strict way of doing diplomacy but Abe is changing this. A prime example was when he allowed a businessman friend of Duterte, Sammy Uy, to attend the 2 leaders’ summit in Tokyo in October.
Soon after, Abe flew to New York to meet with US President-elect Donald Trump, the first head of state to do so.
On the ground, Japan enjoys advantages. It is our top trading partner and largest source of aid. For many years, Japan has been supporting peace efforts with Muslim rebels in Mindanao, a presence Duterte saw when he was Davao mayor.
Abe has kept mum about the extrajudicial killings here, steering clear of trouble. And an add-on is Japan’s new support for drug rehabilitation.
In terms of people-to-people relations, a recent poll by Pulse Asia shows that many Filipinos (70%) trust Japan in contrast to their huge distrust of China (61%). The anti-Japanese sentiment that engulfed the country after the war has ebbed.
Clearly, Abe scores a win with President Duterte. We hope this translates into strategic goals of letting The Hague ruling prevail and keeping the US forces in the region to balance off China. – Rappler.com
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