Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is expected to adopt the diplomatic strategies of his predecessors Shinzo Abe and Yoshihide Suga, placing emphasis on the Japan-U.S. alliance and cooperation under the Quad framework among Japan, the United States, Australia and India to counter China's increasingly hegemonic moves.
At his first press conference as prime minister on Monday, Kishida said of China: "There have been questionable responses regarding values such as freedom, democracy, the rule of law and human rights. We must decisively say what needs to be said."
Kishida expressed skepticism regarding China's application to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). "Considering the situation of state-owned enterprises and the handling of intellectual property rights, it seems fairly unclear whether China will be able to meet the high standards of the TPP," he said.
Although there had been signs of improvement in Japan-China relations during the Abe administration, the relationship cooled after China escalated provocations in waters around the Senkaku Islands in Okinawa Prefecture.
Kishida faces several diplomatic issues as relationships with other neighboring countries are also deteriorating.
According to a senior Foreign Ministry official, the Japan-South Korea relationship is the "worst it has been in the post-war period," following a South Korean court ruling in January ordering the Japanese government to compensate former comfort women.
North Korea has recently conducted a series of missile launches and the issue of abductions of Japanese nationals has not seen any progress.
With Russia, negotiations for a peace treaty, including the issue of the northern territories, are at a standstill. As Moscow is unilaterally promoting the development and military use of the territories, persistent negotiations are likely to be necessary.
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