Special to WorldTribune.com

By Willy Lam, East-Asia-Intel.com

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe gave the Chinese leadership a much-appreciated Christmas present when he unexpectedly paid a formal visit to the Yasukuni Shrine — where 14 Class-A WWII criminals are honored — on Dec. 26.

Abe’s perceived support of quasi-militaristic goals has elicited a tidal wave of criticism from China and South Korea. Even the United States, Japan’s staunch ally, expressed “disappointment” at the strong-willed prime minister’s apparent effort to consolidate his support among powerful right-wing groups in Japan.

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) administration, however, is happy that Abe’s controversial action has shifted the world’s focus from Beijing’s recent designation of the Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) over the East China Sea, which has been condemned not only by Japan and South Korea but also the U.S. and Australia.

Moreover, Beijing has used Abe’s misstep to justify its harsh reaction to what Chinese officials privately call the country’s “enemy No. 1.”

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  ADIZ, Beijing preparing to declare economic war on Japan’s Prime Minister Abe, East China Sea, Shinzo Abe, Yasukuni Shrine