Diplomatic initiatives presage reduction of regional tensions in East Asia

Tokyo

A SUDDEN flurry of diplomatic activity involving Japan, China and South Korea - brokered, apparently, in part by the United States - has strengthened the prospect of a trilateral summit being held among leaders of the three East Asian powers as early as next month, despite ongoing regional tensions.

Japan appears to be the prime mover in these initiatives as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe seeks to defuse controversy caused by new security laws which his Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has pushed through Japan's Parliament, enabling greater Japanese military force projection overseas.