Abe feels let down by Obama’s decision not to take a firm stand on the ADIZ – the latest in a series of aggressive moves by China to upend the status quo in the East China Sea. For its part, the US government openly – and uncharacteristically – criticized Abe’s Yasukuni visit, with its embassy in Japan releasing a statement saying that the US was “disappointed that Japan’s leadership has taken an action that will exacerbate tensions with Japan’s neighbors.”