Amid rising concerns from China about the rightist-prone tendency in the Shinzo Abe administration, Zhang Yun, a professor at Niigata University, has put off such disquiet and claimed the United States is the obstacle in the Japanese government's rightist development.

Zhang Yun on Monday told the Singapore-based Lianhe Zaobao that China needn't feel worried, but should strengthen itself, following the right-wing surge in Japanese society. He added that the rightist movement in Japan would fundamentally target the U.S., and was limited in its potential threat.

According to Zhang, the Japanese senate suffers from partisan discord. The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) advocates "influencing the congress to revise the constitution," whereas the New Komeito Party (NKP) objects to "starting with revising Article 96," an allegation seconded by the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ). Your Party (YP) has noted that "political reform is more important than revising the constitution."

Article 96 in the Constitution of Japan specifies the process for making amendments. The Constitution has remained unchanged since becoming effective in 1947, and many politicians want to revise Article 96 so that they can begin revising other, more central articles.

Prof. Zhang said that Abe understands that drifting too far away on this issue will cause political and social divisions, a concern that has made his administration cautious.

He noted that the U.S. is the biggest challenge to Japan's attempts at total constitutional revision, fundamentally because Japan's post-WWII society was shaped according to U.S. designs. Japan's acceptance of U.S. initial governance determined its post-WWII restoration and development.

In the worst case scenario, according to Zhang, Japan could overthrow the Potsdam Declaration and the Tokyo Trials, and risk breaking the U.S.-Japan Security Treaty.

Zhang said Japan's right-wing nationalists consider themselves victims, too, a notion deeply rooted in their mind but which has been subdued ever since Japan's surrender.

Similarly, the U.S. maintains that the coalition is in the common interest, but is bound to suppress Japan's excessive rightist movement, as there is little shared value regarding historical issues.

Zhang put off the concern of China's rise, saying that the anti-China trend in Japan was merely a false appearance that covers its anti-U.S. essence. He added the U.S. will become more concerned if Japan's rightist trend develops to its fullest.

On the issue of Japan's increase in military spending, Zhang Yun also said that Japan was currently restricted more by the American attitude than domestic obstacles in stepping up its military strength.

Japanese voters chose Abe again out of their expectation for Abenomics, rather than for a larger military presence. Polls showed that a better economy was the only way to sustain Abe's administration.

Zhang urged China to raise its own strength and influence, instead of feeling worried about a rightest Japan. A stronger China would show more Japanese the charms of potential bilateral cooperation and deter those moving to the extreme right-wing.

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