Shinzo Abe's Diplomatic Balancing Act

Under Shinzo Abe, Japan is again bidding to become a central player on the world stage. It remains an attractive partner for technology cooperation, and the potential for defense-industrial ties could help the economies of both Japan and Europe. By staking his foreign policy on the maintenance of global order, Abe has created the biggest opportunity for Japanese engagement with Europe since Yasuhiro Nakasone was prime minister in the 1980s. The next U.S. president should welcome closer cooperation and partnership among European and Asian democracies, and figure out how to get America engaged in the process. Tensions over ties with Russia, which Tokyo is unlikely to cut, are all the more reason to take advantage of the outstretched hand that a more activist Japanese premier is offering.