Shinzo Abe owes Xi Jinping a debt of gratitude.
The buzz in Japanese cyberspace is that Chinese President Xi is wagging the dog by declaring a controversial "air-defense identification zone" across the East China Sea. The move has drastically ramped up tensions with Japan and the United States, both of which have blatantly disregarded Beijing's unilateral edict. According to one prevailing theory, Xi is whipping up an international storm to change the subject domestically away from income inequality, official corruption and China's blackening skies.
The leader benefiting most from the controversy, though, may be Japan's Abe. With his own populace furious over China's unilateral decree, the prime minister is seizing the opportunity to rush a chilling official-secrets bill into law.