On China, Japan's PM wants diplomacy, not war

A chat with Fumio Kishida, who urges smart engagement

Japanese officials used to fret that America took the threat from China too coolly. Even after Chinese and Japanese ships clashed over the Senkaku/Diaoyu islands a decade ago, American leaders pursued engagement. "We warned the US," a former Japanese ambassador once grumbled to The Economist.

But these days the mercury in America has risen sharply - its politicians compete to see who can sound most hawkish on China. This is now giving Japan the opposite worry.

In an interview with The Economist and other global media on Thursday, Mr Fumio Kishida, Japan's Prime Minister, was asked what his country was doing militarily to contain China's hegemonic ambitions. He was reluctant to wade in. Instead of naming the many measures that Japan is taking to bolster its defences, he said: "What must be prioritised is proactive diplomacy." So it continued. Speaking ahead of the Group of Seven (G-7) summit that Japan will host in his home town of Hiroshima in May, Mr Kishida, glancing often at briefing papers, took pains not to make Japan's troubled relations with China even worse.

"Japan will assert what needs to be asserted and urge responsible action while maintaining a firm dialogue on various issues and cooperating on common challenges," he added.