The Economist interviews Shinzo Abe

The full transcript can be read here.

I personally found this section most interesting:

"The Economist: Typically, journalists hear from politicians about domestic policy and about foreign policy—two different strands. But it seems that you see it as all one. Is that the case? Do you look at Japan’s being strong at home and strong abroad as a part of the same package? 

Mr Abe: Well, from the time of my birth to when I reached my 30s, Japan was in its prime in terms of economic strength, growing very robustly, and with that background, Japan’s showing in the world was growing too. At the time, I thought this good trend would continue for a very long time to come, and I also thought that Japan would be a country of much greater importance to the world. But it didn’t turn out like that, because for the past 20 years, we’ve stagnated. During that time, we've seen the emergence of other strong global players. And so there is no way that we can separate our domestic policies from our diplomacy. We have to have a strong economy to have a strong diplomacy; and with strong diplomacy and a strong foreign policy, we can in turn ensure peace and stability in the region. And in the international community, our stronger influence will ensure smoother progress in [building relations and] getting things done."