Abe's mudslinging only sticks to him

People hold placards during a rally against Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's administration and his security-related legislation in front of the parliament building in Tokyo July 15, 2015. [Photo/Agencies]

In an apparent attempt to justify his much-trumpeted security bills, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has directly accused China of posing a threat to Japan's national security. Such self-serving accusations only do more damage to the already strained relationship between Beijing and Tokyo.

During the debates about a series of unpopular security-related bills in the upper house of Japan's parliament that began on Monday, Abe said Japan needs to enhance its deterrence through the security legislation so as to counter China's moves in the region.

Echoing Abe, Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani claimed in the upper house on Tuesday that China's reclamation projects in the South China Sea and oil exploration activities in the East China Sea affect Japan's security situation.

Although Abe and his followers have launched verbal attacks on Beijing many times before, it is rare for a Japanese leader to directly point an accusing finger at China. By reviving the "China threat" cliché and unveiling his mask, Abe is seeking to confuse right with wrong and mislead the Japanese public.

Yet people in the region and beyond can easily see through Abe's scheme to scapegoat China as a means to beef up Japan's military.

The passage of the two controversial security bills through the lower house of Japan's parliament on July 16 was widely seen as being an important step in Abe's bid for Japan to have a bigger military profile in the international arena.

For the same purpose, Japan released its 2015 defense white paper on July 21, hyping the "China threat" theory so as to legitimize the passage of Abe's war bills.

To bolster his political life as well as his plummeting public support, Abe is desperate to force the bills through the upper house of the parliament. China-bashing is just a cover he is employing to sell his ultra-right ideology. However, the bills have drawn continued domestic protests, and the mud he is throwing at China is not sticking; instead, it is further eroding his own credibility.

As a country that has vowed to stay on the road of peaceful development, China's contribution to regional and world peace and stability is undeniable. It is Abe's revisionist views on history and ultra-right moves to cultivate a more "aggressive" Japan that is casting a shadow over regional peace and stability.

Abe should understand his much-hyped security bills are not only unpopular in Japan, they also fly against the will of peace-loving people throughout the region and beyond.