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Sept. 13 - Despite the resignation of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, whose government has been rocked by a series of scandals over the past year, China's friendly ties with its neighbor will continue to grow in the coming years, the Foreign Ministry1 said on Wednesday.
Spokeswoman Jiang Yu said closer ties were in the interests of both nations, and would not be dented2 by Abe's resignation. "China-Japan relations have improved through the efforts of the governments and peoples of both nations over the past year," said Jiang. A five-year impasse3 in bilateral4 ties ended when Abe made China his first foreign destination after taking office last September, visiting just weeks after becoming prime minister. Abe offered his resignation yesterday at a press conference, less than a month after reshuffling his Cabinet following a string of damaging scandals and defeat in July Upper House elections. "I determined5 to step down to take responsibility for causing political confusion," Abe said. His resignation comes after indicating over the weekend that he was ready to step down if he failed to extend a Japanese naval6 mission supporting US-led operations in Afghanistan beyond its November 1 deadline. The opposition7 camp led by the Democratic Party of Japan, which gained a majority in the Upper House election, empowering it to now delay legislation, had been preparing to grill8 him on the topic in parliament Wednesday afternoon. "Aside from the election defeat and slipping popularity ratings, the increasing number of funds scandals involving members of his Cabinet coming to light has put pressure on Abe to step down," said Liu Jiangyong, an expert at the Institute of International Studies under Tsinghua University. "Support for the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has been damaged by his concentration on ideological9 issues such as constitutional reform at a time when many Japanese are concerned about the widening gap between the rich and poor," said Liu. "Abe may have feared he no longer had the clout10 to win the public's support for the Afghan mission." Liu said the resignation was designed to allow the LDP to generate new energy in the face of political deadlock11 with the opposition. It has also been suggested internal party strife12 could have been a factor. "The stalemate over the naval mission and other woes13 could spark a snap election in the more powerful lower house, threatening political instability," said Liu. Feng Zhaokui, a Japan specialist at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said he did not expect vast changes in China-Japan relations. The relationship with China is so important that no Japanese politicians can afford to ignore it, he said.
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