Hot! Japan's Abe Turns To Southeast Asia To Counter China Reuters

By Linda Sieg in addition to Jonathan Thatcher

TOKYO/JAKARTA Tue Jan 15, 2013 4:42pm EST

TOKYO/JAKARTA (Reuters) - The very last time this individual was excellent minister connected with Japan, Shinzo Abe's inaugural foreign trip ended up being in order to China. In the job yet again 7 decades afterwards and also relationships using Beijing right now chilly, Abe will be transforming initial this time period into the mounting economic actors of Southeast Asia .

A hawkish Abe wants them that will counterbalance the growing economic along with military may possibly of China at the same time whenever Japan desires different solutions associated with development because of its languishing economy plus is debating no matter if to create unique government additional muscular.

But specialists warn he will must follow thoroughly for the duration of his go to to Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam this particular few days avoiding provoking Bejing through becoming to "contain" China.

Beijing is also scouring that area looking for new expenditure of money and also buy and sell options and places with raw materials. But it is also clashing with international locations in the area inside territorial rows inside South China Sea, in addition to using Japan over little isles in the East China Sea.

Moreover, Abe may find his website hosts eager for you to avoid distressing China, at this point their particular main economic partner as well.

"The Japanese federal can be trying to solidify their contact having other international locations in the region and strengthen it's bargaining electricity ahead of speaking with China," reported Narushige Michishita, an affiliate professor along at the National Graduate Institute.

Abe had wished to travel very first for you to Washington on this occasion once his or her Liberal Democratic Party's (LDP) huge gain with the polls very last month, so that they can strengthen that reliability alliance together with his country's main ally. But because U.S. President Barack Obama was as well busy, when called he'll focus on members of the 10-nation Association connected with Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

Japanese agencies happen to be eyeing Southeast Asia because another for you to expenditure in China right after your long-simmering feud along with Beijing over disputed countries inside East China Sea flared upward very last year, sparking protests with China and damaging trade.

Abe offers made clear in which ASEAN's prepared integration with 2015, having a bloc with mixed economic climates value $2 trillion plus a population of 600 million, is usually a important lure for a Japanese economic system that's been stuck throughout deflation for many years in addition to whose human population is getting older fast and shrinking.