Abe has vowed to make Japan a first-tier country but he cannot meet his goal if Japanese politicians continue denying war crimes

In a speech titled "Japan is back", during his visit to Washington, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe pledged to reinvigorate Japan's economy and said: "Japan is not, and will never be, a tier-two country."

Abe's economic revival recipe has received mixed response. But one thing is for sure that economic strength alone does not make a first-tier country.