What is the best way for Japan and North Korea to resolve the abduction issue?

Wednesday 02nd July, 07:50 AM JST

Latest 15 of 44 Total Comments Show All

GW at 08:55 PM JST - 2nd July

My apologies to the families of those abducted or think they were but Jpn has to let this go, its gone next to no where & I doubt it will in the near future.

I mean just imagine if every country acted like Jpn is wrt abductees after WWII it wud take thousands of years to have a slight shot at getting thngs sorted.

Sorry Jpn, you just have to let it slip slide away, you basically have no choice anyway, I mean what can Jpn do if it really wants to push this. If Jpn were to screw up the nuke talks a lot of countries wud be totally pissed!

And the real kicker is Jpn has done such a horrible job dealing with its own ugly history yet wante the entire world to back it 100% on a few abductees.........

Again I feel sorry for families involved but not much if anything is going to happen regarding this issue, sorry its all but done, sad but done
RepublicofTexas at 09:05 PM JST - 2nd July

My apologies to the families of those abducted or think they were but Jpn has to let this go, its gone next to no where & I doubt it will in the near future.

Japan rarely if ever asserts herself, she has to put her foot down somewhere and say enough is enough.
Kijimuna at 09:37 PM JST - 2nd July

RofT, for the record, I was being sarcastic when I recommended massive aid. I do believe however that the abduction issue can never be separated from the broader issues including NK stability, so large flows of money are really the price paid for getting a little truth and reconciliation. If not, they should drop it. In fact, the GOJ had successfully kept the issue off the radar for years until a Diet member decided to make a career play out of it. The genie got out of the bottle and it ain't going back in, except gently and slowly.
FineDiner at 10:19 PM JST - 2nd July

forget about it, just like the Japanese forgot about the Comfort women.
KitsuneYoukai at 10:26 PM JST - 2nd July

What good does it do NK, just give them back. Japan needs a better strategist. However, we are talking about a crazy man in charge of NK.
yosun at 11:45 PM JST - 2nd July

Hi, Mr JoeBigs:

let's play a game: suppose an angry N Korean just change couple words to rewrite your openion as following:

"Kim Il Jong is really a Big Monchichi dolls.....Only way to make him give up the hostages is to force China who is the real hands behind his strings....."

to

"Jp gov is really a Big Monchichi dolls.....Only way to make him give up the hostages is to force US who is the real hands behind his strings....."

How do u think about it? so, forget about China. and no matter u like it or not, Korea will be Japan's neighbor for next thousands of years. even S Korean is not very happy about Japan, isn't it? what else except 'Forgive' can u do?
RascalFromKochi at 10:24 AM JST - 3rd July

I agree with the "give it up" approach. Yes it is very hard for the families who suffered the loss of their loved ones, and for them I grieve as well.

But Japan does not have the high moral ground--in fact, their "dilemma" is entirely self-imposed.

First, Japan needs to admit that the issue is nothing more than an internal political issue to feed the weekly rumor magazines and to give the Opposition something to yell about in Parliament.

Second, it apparently feels morally good for the average Japanese on the street to have something to hold against a country that it occupied (and brutalized) within the living memory of many many people. The logic is classic xenophobia, and it goes like this: "If I can find the bad things about my neighboring country, I can justify that they are unworthy of my concern, and I can feel better about the bad things my father's and grandfather's generation did to them."

Japan has the money and the food to keep 100,000 people in North Korea from starving to death next winter. Why should they stomp their feet like little children regarding, what, 25 Japanese who were abducted 30 years ago? The necessary aid for North Korea is a perfect opportunity to pay for some of the hardship that Japan inflicted on the Koreans in the 20th century, and to mend fences with both North and South Korea. Why should they pass up such a perfect opportunity to show that the Japanese people are a compassionate people?
oneearth at 11:27 AM JST - 3rd July

why peoples allways go back to pass in mind,did you knew that Japanese also did as North Korea,
chardk1 at 11:36 AM JST - 3rd July

Why should they pass up such a perfect opportunity to show that the Japanese people are a compassionate people?

I like Japan, and I have nothing against Japanese people. But as a purely objective observation, making the first move to be more charitable or upstanding than the other guy is NOT what this society is about. This is a country where children are not taught "do unto others as you would have done to you" or "turn the other cheek," but rather "you gotta take care of your own" and it shows. I'm not Christian, but let's face it, if the Good Samaritan had been Japanese, the poor guy by the roadside would have died of thirst.
JoeBigs at 12:03 PM JST - 3rd July

That is the funniest statement yet....The Japanese are about hospitality and taking care of your guest. Now what part of Japan are you in?????? I myself have been all over and right now live in Tokyo. Wait, do you have two heads? Is that why you are shunned?

Very odd statement to say the least, to be honest it sounds as if you are talking about America rather than Japan.

The Bigs
chardk1 at 01:14 PM JST - 3rd July

The Japanese are polite. They are friendly to people they are trying to impress. That is very different from being charitable.
apecNetworks at 04:13 PM JST - 3rd July

What is the best way for Japan and North Korea to resolve the abduction issue?

The best way is for the 6way talks to reach a settlement over the nuclear issue. With the settlement, the latent emotions of the past wars can be addressed. The problems w/ the past can at least be addressed in a more calm manner, rather than saber rattling and constant "gut checks".

I have no illusions to the seriousness of the 6way talks.
ToughGuyBanker at 08:26 PM JST - 3rd July

Nothing sort of an all-out annihilation of the DPRK will suffice. It then needs to be rebuilt as an economic colony of the west.
JoeBigs at 09:33 AM JST - 5th July

& party talks is going real well. Bush bends over and China gives it to him. Russia does not have a clue, Japan wants votes, NK wants food, SK wants to be NK.......

Dont think this one work.......

Japan needs to get rid of article 9 and build up. Some shacking of boots will loosen Kim`s grip and the hostages will be released.

BTW those people are HOSTAGES they are not an abduction issue. They have names they are human....

To remove someones humanity is a way to make other forget who they were. If people stop calling this an abduction issue and start hitting with a more harsh word, like HOSTAGE issue. Maybe the Japanese gov will take note.
rranta at 11:01 AM JST - 8th July

The best way would be for one or both of them to simply releash the people. period. they can hold talks about their differences later. One should take the lead and do it.