ID :
24712
Wed, 10/15/2008 - 20:00
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/24712
The shortlink copeid
Aso Cabinet reaffirms N. Korea policy of sanctions, no fuel aid
TOKYO, Oct. 15 Kyodo - Japan will stand firm in maintaining its sanctions on North Korea and not take part in six-party energy aid to Pyongyang until progress is made on resolving the issue of its past abductions, Prime Minister Taro Aso reaffirmed with all Cabinet ministers Wednesday in the wake of the North being checked off the U.S. terror-sponsoring blacklist.
The meeting of the government's headquarters on the abduction issue, held for
the first time in two years, came on the heels of a petition to Chief Cabinet
Secretary Takeo Kawamura earlier Wednesday by family members of the abductees
urging the government to step up economic sanctions on North Korea.
''Thirty years have passed since the abductions took place...this is a fight
against time and there is not a single second we can afford to waste,'' Aso
said at the outset of the meeting.
In an apparent move to calm concerns among the abductees' family members and
the public, the prime minister said, ''Without resolving the abductions, we
will not normalize ties with North Korea.''
At the same time, he repeated Japan's call on Pyongyang to cooperate by saying,
''We're ready to move forward in Japan-North Korea relations by resolving
pending bilateral issues and settling the so-called unfortunate past. What we
are waiting for now is North Korea to take action and we strongly demand the
return of the abductees soon.''
Kawamura, who is also minister in charge of the abduction issue, said at a news
conference ahead of Wednesday's meeting that it was convened to send a message
to the public that all Cabinet ministers in the Aso administration, which took
office last month, are united on upholding Japan's current stance on the issue.
The Cabinet confirmed in principle to uphold the policies adopted at the
headquarters' first meeting in October 2006 under then Prime Minister Shinzo
Abe's administration. These include demanding that North Korea hand over the
abduction suspects, and promoting support and understanding domestically as
well as internationally.
The ministers also agreed to maintain current sanctions and to consider further
measures depending on North Korea's response, the headquarters said.
Japan has recently extended its economic sanctions on the North as Pyongyang
has yet to fulfill its promise to launch reinvestigations on the abduction
cases.
Tokyo is also maintaining its stance of not participating in the provision of
heavy oil to North Korea under a fuel-for-disablement agreement in the
six-party denuclearization talks until the abductions are addressed.
Foreign Minister Hirofumi Nakasone was quoted by government officials as saying
at the meeting that Japan will continue to strongly demand that North Korea
begin the investigations. He also pledged to further cooperation with the
United States and other nations concerned, noting that Japan still has
''various cards'' to play against Pyongyang.
Kawamura, the top government spokesman, assured the abductees' families and
their supporter groups earlier Wednesday that even when North Korea fulfills
its promise to set up a panel for the reinvestigations, Japan will not engage
in the provision of energy aid until there are concrete results from the
investigations, according to a member of the groups.
But with the U.S. delisting providing momentum for the denuclearization process
to move forward, it is widely believed that pressure from the other member
nations in the six-way framework will mount for Japan to bear a share of the
fuel aid.
The six-party talks, involving North and South Korea, China, Japan, Russia and
the United States, is likely to resume around the time of the summit of the
Asia-Europe Meeting to be held in Beijing from Oct. 24.
A senior Foreign Ministry official said Wednesday that China, chair of the
talks, has approached the member nations on the scheduling and indicated that
the talks may take place just before or after the ASEM summit.
The headquarters, launched in September 2006 and headed by the prime minister,
held its first meeting in October that year. However, Abe's successor, Yasuo
Fukuda, never convened the meeting during his term.
Wednesday's meeting coincided with the sixth anniversary of the return of five
abductees to Japan from North Korea on Oct. 15, 2002, following a landmark
summit between then Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and North Korean leader
Kim Jong Il in Pyongyang.
But bilateral negotiations have stalled in recent years and Japan had
repeatedly urged that North Korea be kept on the U.S. blacklist until progress
is seen on resolving the abductions of Japanese nationals by North Korean
agents in the 1970s and 1980s.
At least a dozen abductees remain missing and Japan believes they are in North
Korea.
But Washington went ahead with rescinding its designation of North Korea as a
state sponsor of terrorism Saturday to advance stalled talks on the country's
denuclearization.
North Korea has conducted investigations into the cases on several occasions in
the past, but Japan has rejected the results as unconvincing.
The abduction issue remains a major obstacle preventing the two sides from
establishing diplomatic ties.
==Kyodo
The meeting of the government's headquarters on the abduction issue, held for
the first time in two years, came on the heels of a petition to Chief Cabinet
Secretary Takeo Kawamura earlier Wednesday by family members of the abductees
urging the government to step up economic sanctions on North Korea.
''Thirty years have passed since the abductions took place...this is a fight
against time and there is not a single second we can afford to waste,'' Aso
said at the outset of the meeting.
In an apparent move to calm concerns among the abductees' family members and
the public, the prime minister said, ''Without resolving the abductions, we
will not normalize ties with North Korea.''
At the same time, he repeated Japan's call on Pyongyang to cooperate by saying,
''We're ready to move forward in Japan-North Korea relations by resolving
pending bilateral issues and settling the so-called unfortunate past. What we
are waiting for now is North Korea to take action and we strongly demand the
return of the abductees soon.''
Kawamura, who is also minister in charge of the abduction issue, said at a news
conference ahead of Wednesday's meeting that it was convened to send a message
to the public that all Cabinet ministers in the Aso administration, which took
office last month, are united on upholding Japan's current stance on the issue.
The Cabinet confirmed in principle to uphold the policies adopted at the
headquarters' first meeting in October 2006 under then Prime Minister Shinzo
Abe's administration. These include demanding that North Korea hand over the
abduction suspects, and promoting support and understanding domestically as
well as internationally.
The ministers also agreed to maintain current sanctions and to consider further
measures depending on North Korea's response, the headquarters said.
Japan has recently extended its economic sanctions on the North as Pyongyang
has yet to fulfill its promise to launch reinvestigations on the abduction
cases.
Tokyo is also maintaining its stance of not participating in the provision of
heavy oil to North Korea under a fuel-for-disablement agreement in the
six-party denuclearization talks until the abductions are addressed.
Foreign Minister Hirofumi Nakasone was quoted by government officials as saying
at the meeting that Japan will continue to strongly demand that North Korea
begin the investigations. He also pledged to further cooperation with the
United States and other nations concerned, noting that Japan still has
''various cards'' to play against Pyongyang.
Kawamura, the top government spokesman, assured the abductees' families and
their supporter groups earlier Wednesday that even when North Korea fulfills
its promise to set up a panel for the reinvestigations, Japan will not engage
in the provision of energy aid until there are concrete results from the
investigations, according to a member of the groups.
But with the U.S. delisting providing momentum for the denuclearization process
to move forward, it is widely believed that pressure from the other member
nations in the six-way framework will mount for Japan to bear a share of the
fuel aid.
The six-party talks, involving North and South Korea, China, Japan, Russia and
the United States, is likely to resume around the time of the summit of the
Asia-Europe Meeting to be held in Beijing from Oct. 24.
A senior Foreign Ministry official said Wednesday that China, chair of the
talks, has approached the member nations on the scheduling and indicated that
the talks may take place just before or after the ASEM summit.
The headquarters, launched in September 2006 and headed by the prime minister,
held its first meeting in October that year. However, Abe's successor, Yasuo
Fukuda, never convened the meeting during his term.
Wednesday's meeting coincided with the sixth anniversary of the return of five
abductees to Japan from North Korea on Oct. 15, 2002, following a landmark
summit between then Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and North Korean leader
Kim Jong Il in Pyongyang.
But bilateral negotiations have stalled in recent years and Japan had
repeatedly urged that North Korea be kept on the U.S. blacklist until progress
is seen on resolving the abductions of Japanese nationals by North Korean
agents in the 1970s and 1980s.
At least a dozen abductees remain missing and Japan believes they are in North
Korea.
But Washington went ahead with rescinding its designation of North Korea as a
state sponsor of terrorism Saturday to advance stalled talks on the country's
denuclearization.
North Korea has conducted investigations into the cases on several occasions in
the past, but Japan has rejected the results as unconvincing.
The abduction issue remains a major obstacle preventing the two sides from
establishing diplomatic ties.
==Kyodo
