Little was heard from Yasuo Fukuda, nor was much said about him, after he stepped down as prime minister in 2008. And in 2012, he declined to seek re-election to the Lower House. In recent months, however, his words and deeds have been mentioned against the backdrop of what some see as the "total collapse" of the diplomacy pursued by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
Late in March, one of the leading figures of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party called on Fukuda and said: "If Japan's relations with China and South Korea remain as they are today, there will be a serious, adverse impact on the Japanese economy. Will you join hands with those who have headed the government and the legislative chambers to help improve those relations?"
Fukuda served as chief Cabinet secretary under Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi from 2001 to 2004, and Abe was Fukuda's deputy. Fukuda had a deep sense of crisis that Koizumi's visit to Yasukuni Shrine would seriously damage Japan's relations with China and South Korea as the shrine honors Class-A war criminals along with Japan's war dead.