Abe seeks boost

Support for Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has fallen to its lowest level since he took office last September. He will look to boost his approval ratings by improving foreign relations on the sidelines of the G8 summit, which runs from June 6 to June 8.

Abe, who may try to engineer a meeting with Chinese President Hu Jintao and Russia's President Vladimir Putin at the summit, desperately needs a boost to his prestige. He could lose his job after July elections to the upper house if his Liberal Democratic Party underperforms. However, beyond photo opportunities and a few headlines, he may not get much out of these summits.

Hu may be miffed that Tokyo is granting former Taiwan leader Lee Teng-hui a visa to visit Japan, especially if the latter makes noises about Taiwan's separate status from China while he is there. Putin is unlikely to give ground on the disputed Kuril Islands, or Northern Territories as Japan calls them, which is where Abe is likely to press him. The Russian president will feel the May 28 return of a Japanese fishing boat captain detained on January 21 by Russia in waters off the disputed islands was enough of a goodwill gesture before the meeting. Still, engagement is to be preferred to cold-shouldering, and Abe may try to get some credit for that.