Tokyo walks a tightrope between sanctions, talks on abductions
Friday, February 12, 2016
TOKYO -- Not long after North Korea's nuclear test in early January, the Japanese government unofficially approached a North Korean official in China. The official indicated that Pyongyang's actions are solely directed at Washington.
He also warned that Pyongyang could terminate the dialogue between the two nations concerning North Korea's abductions of Japanese citizens, if Japan imposes stronger sanctions against the North. "Japan should be more aware that our republic [North Korea] has now only a little concern with Japan," the official reportedly said.
During the bilateral talks in Stockholm in May 2014, the North promised Japan that it would reopen the investigation into the fate of Japanese nationals abducted by North Korean agents. Since then, Tokyo has heard nothing from Pyongyang, which instead has increasingly threatened the world with its nuclear test and ballistic missile launch.
The Japanese and South Korean governments on Wednesday increased their sanctions on North Korea. But Japan appears to have struggled with the decision.
According to a government official, Tokyo has no intention of stopping the abduction-related dialogue, but is afraid that the North may overreact to stronger sanctions and bring the talks to a halt. Solving the abduction issue is one of the most important challenges for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. He is therefore desperate to keep channels open in hopes of improving the situation.
Japan should retain the means of negotiations agreed to at the Stockholm talks, said a senior official from the country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. But there is no guarantee that a decision not to increase sanctions would help resolve the abduction issue as early as Japan desires.
In 2014, Abe's administration decided to partially drop sanctions against the North, in the hope that the North resumes investigation of Japanese abductees. The amount of cash transferred from Japan to North Korea in all of 2015 surpassed 500 million yen ($4.41 million) -- a significant inflow of foreign funds for North Korea. In contrast, Japan has not received anything fruitful in return.
Leading countries around the world have failed to discourage Pyongyang from developing nuclear weapons and missiles. It is even becoming more and more likely that North Korea could, in the near future, deploy ballistic missiles that can carry nuclear warheads. This could dash any hope for Japan of resolving its outstanding issues with the North, the foreign ministry official said.
The Japanese government eventually increased sanctions against North Korea, largely at the behest of the families of the abductees. In a briefing by the government to update the situation with North Korea, held at the Cabinet Office on Monday, the families urged foreign ministry officials, including Kimihiro Ishikane, director-general of the Asian and Oceanian affairs bureau, to show evidence that the Stockholm agreement can really do anything about the abduction issue. Some even suggested that, without any progress in the investigation, Japan might be better off scrapping the Stockholm agreement.
"Japan has been rather moderate against the North," said a government official. "Showing our determination may improve the situation."
Tokyo walks a tightrope between sanctions, talks on abductions
Japan has been asking the North to return its abducted citizens, but the effort has not seen any fruitful progress for years. During an lower house plenary session on Tuesday, Abe declared that his government is determined to take firm action. Japan has decided to promote dialogue by increasing pressure on Pyongyang, but the future of the choice is still unclear.
CR : http://asia.nikkei.com/Politics
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