hankyoreh

Follow-up discussions on the six-party agreement forged on February 13 are moving forward quickly. North Korea and the United States are going to hold talks on normalizing relations on March 5 in New York, and North Korea and Japan are going to talk about the same on March 7 in Hanoi. Each meeting has a lot to cover and accomplish, and the road ahead will be a long one. This being the case, the parties to this process really need to work in good faith if these talks are going to see progress. Top South Korean negotiator Chun Young-woo, after meeting with deputy North Korean foreign minister Kim Kye-gwan on Saturday, said the North is very determined to implement the first phase of the six-party agreement. The United States, for its part, looks like it has a changed approach to the question of highly enriched uranium, and is working to move the process forward.

Recent behavior on the part of Japan, however, is as disappointing as can be. On March 1, prime minister Abe Shinzo told Japan’s ambassador for normalization talks with Pyongyang that Japan will not participate in giving North Korea energy aid if the issue of abducted Japanese citizens is not resolved. Then, the Japanese foreign minister said on Saturday that Japan would not give a single Yen unless there is progress on the abductees. Granted, Japan’s approach here might be part of a strategy to get more from Pyongyang in the course of negotiations.

Considering the fact that Abe cultivated his political strength by taking a hard-line stance on the abductee cause, his comments do not read as being issued simply for the negotiating table. It looks as if, with elections coming up, he is trying to gain back the popularity his government has lost by bringing the abductee issue to the forefront and thus winning back right-wing support. His recent statement that there is "no evidence of coercion in the recruitment of comfort women" appears to have been made in the same context.

Seeing all this, you are forced to wonder if Japan is a responsible enough partner in Northeast Asia to participate in the six-party process. Peace on the Korean peninsula will be the foundation of peace in the Northeast Asian region, so you wonder if Japan is using international causes and exploiting them for domestic political needs. Even the lower house of the U.S. Congress is about to vote on a resolution calling for Japan to recognize its responsibilities towards the past. Who will be understanding of Japan if it avoids its responsibilities regarding the comfort women issue while at the same time saying it seeks justice about abducted Japanese citizens? If Japan wants to be one of the main movers in the region, it needs to behave in a manner becoming of that status.


Please direct questions or comments to [englishhani@hani.co.kr]