CRI听力:Abe's New Challenges

Japan's new foreign minister, Fumio Kishida is on his visit for three Southeast Asian countries - the Philippines, Singapore, Brunei, and Australia as his first overseas tour.

Analysts say Japan's second-time Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is facing a formidable task of dealing with the current tensions with China surrounding the Diaoyu Islands and reviving ties with neighbors.

Also on the agenda for the new PM is reviving Japan's long-stagnant economy.

The new Japanese government is expected to announce around 12-trillion yen or 136 billion-US-dollars in fiscal stimulus measures to boost the nation's shrinking economy.

Now for more on the latest developments in Japan following Abe's taking office CRI's Zheng Chenguang spoke to Zhang Weiwei, assistant research Fellow of the Department for Asia-Pacific Security and Cooperation Studies, at the China Institute of International Studies.