The Yomiuri ShimbunAt a time when there is no looking ahead to the future of talks between the United States and North Korea, what should be done to gain a clue to resolving the problem of abductions of Japanese nationals by the North? The Japanese government’s diplomatic strategy could be tested.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has shown an eagerness to hold direct talks with Kim Jong Un, chairman of the Workers’ Party of Korea. This comes in response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s move to bring up the abduction issue while talking with Kim during the latest U.S.-North Korea summit meeting.

“I’ll never miss any opportunity [to address the problem],” the prime minister has emphasized.

North Korea should acknowledge its own state crime and allow the victims to return home. Kim is the only one who can make such a political decision. The prime minister’s intention to find a way out through summit talks with Kim is understandable.

If he is too hasty in seeking a summit meeting with Kim, it could be taken advantage of by North Korea. It is important to flexibly respond to the North while cautiously discerning its attitude toward the matter.

At the ongoing session of the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva, the government has decided not to submit a resolution regarding human rights violations by the North. Japan has submitted a similar resolution jointly with the European Union every year since 2008, but it reconsidered its policy this year.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga has explained the reason for the change, saying, “[The government] has comprehensively considered the outcome of the U.S.-North Korea summit meeting and various circumstances surrounding the abduction and other issues.” The new policy seems to be aimed at ensuring that restraint in criticizing North Korea serves as a preliminary step toward realizing summit talks between Japan and the North.

Exert pressure together

Japan has so far spearheaded international efforts to rectify the human rights situation in the North, including the abduction problem. No doubt should be raised about Japan’s stance in this respect.

Japan needs to make an active contribution to improving the human rights situation in concert with European nations and the United States.

Many of the Japanese nationals in question were kidnapped during the 1970s and 1980s. Five victims returned to Japan after Japan-North Korea summit talks in 2002. However, no noticeable progress has been seen in the matter since then.

In February, the association of kidnapped victims’ families adopted a document demanding Kim make a decision to immediately send all victims back to Japan. It was unusual for the association to send a message to North Korea’s top leader, after years of maintaining a hard-line stance on that nation.

The document also states that the association will not oppose Japan-North Korea diplomatic normalization if the return home of the victims is achieved.

The parents of the victims, among others, have reached an advanced age. Their earnest wish for the victims’ return home should be fulfilled as soon as possible.

Japan’s basic principle regarding its diplomacy toward North Korea is to seek a comprehensive solution to the nuclear, missile and abduction issues.

To make progress in North Korea’s denuclearization, which has reached a stalemate, it is indispensable for the international community to join hands in exerting pressure on the country, thereby encouraging it to reverse its policy. With a view to fully implementing resolutions adopted by the U.N. Security Council to impose sanctions on the North, the government must be involved in this endeavor under its own initiative.

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, March 19, 2019)Speech

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