Tokyo Doesn’t Need Schieffer’s Help with Pyongyang

Published: October 29, 2007, 7:14 am

Tags: east asia, politics, usa, abductions, dprk, foreign policy, japan, korea, six party talks, yasuo fukuda

While in its dealings with North Korea the government is sticking firmly to the basic diplomatic stance of “dialogue and pressure” that was crafted by former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and maintained by the Abe administration, the fact that Komura mentioned a possible definition of “progress,” and suggested that North Korea might receive “rewards” even if not all of the abductees are returned, are signs of a foreign policy shift. (…) As North Korea is expected to soon declare its nuclear weapons programs, Japanese government officials have stepped up their calls for warmer ties with North Korea, pointing out that when Pyongyang completes its declaration of its nuclear programs, Washington likely will remove North Korea from its list of state sponsors of terrorism, and that under such a scenario, Japan would be isolated in the six-party talks on North Korea’s denuclearization. It seems on the DPRK, the Fukuda administration can

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