Japan to partially lift sanctions if N Korea reinvestigates abductions

Monday 11th August, 03:27 AM JST

TOKYO —

Japan will consider partially lifting economic sanctions against North Korea if Pyongyang starts reinvestigating the cases of Japanese nationals abducted by its agents in line with bilateral agreements in June, Japanese Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura said Sunday. ‘‘We will slightly ease the sanctions when methods of (North Korea’s) investigations to find surviving (abductees) are set and we confirm the start of the reinvestigation,’’ Komura told a news program of public broadcaster NHK. ‘‘It is action for action. Diplomacy does not progress in such conditions that ‘you must act but we won’t do what we promised to do,’’’ Komura added. He made the remarks in reference to two-day working-level talks between Japan and North Korea in the Chinese city of Shenyang from Monday.

Akitaka Saiki, director general of the ministry’s Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau, arrived in the Chinese city Sunday for the two-day meeting. The talks are expected to cover North Korea’s promise made in the previous round of talks in June—reinvestigation of the abduction issue and its cooperation in handing over Japanese radicals who hijacked a plane to North Korea in 1970. In return, Japan said at that time it will ease part of its economic sanctions against North Korea.

Kyodo

Latest 15 of 21 Total Comments Show All

Sarge at 10:58 PM JST - 10th August

smithinjapan - "these people have been told what happened"

Yeah, by who?!

If you had a daughter who was kidnapped and there was no body to confirm the death and you had nothing but the word of the rogue government in Pyongyang tell you she was dead, you wouldn't give her up for dead either.
kimigano at 11:59 PM JST - 10th August

And the abductees families get stabbed in the back. Thanks Bush!
smithinjapan at 12:05 AM JST - 11th August

sarge: "If you had a daughter who was kidnapped and there was no body to confirm the death and you had nothing but the word of the rogue government in Pyongyang tell you she was dead, you wouldn't give her up for dead either."

You're probably right, but the fact of the matter is, I would also have to live for whatever life I had left knowing I probably would NEVER know what happened, too. The bottom line is, the Yokotas et. al. can keep demanding bodies that don't exist until the cows come home, but they'll never, never see ANYTHING for it. If the NK government says they have nothing more to go on after an ADDITIONAL investigation, what are you going to do, sarge? You're going to say 'you're lying, show me the bones!' just because they're unreliable? Are you going to go in there guns-a-blazin' only to find out there is indeed NOTHING and say you were going in there on what you thought was reliable intel? (the J-government simply saying they are there)? What are you going to do sarge, when NK has nothing else to add.... keep the sanctions until they LIE to you? Bribe someone over there to write a letter declaring they are one of the supposedly deceased so you have more 'proof' (just an example of what some might do to desperately prove something they want to hear).

Again, they're not going to stop, fine, but don't expect a government to lie simply because the Yokota's want to hear something that doesn't exist.

The Japanese WANT to hear, "Okay, we have them... we'll send them over", but the fact is, how can they if they're not there.
smithinjapan at 12:12 AM JST - 11th August

sarge: "Yeah, by who?!"

Finally, again, while I feel for the Yokotas and everyone else hurt by NK, you can't just BELIEVE the supposed abductees (and I mean 'supposed' for those not proven beyond a reasonable doubt to have been taken) are still alive because someone says they are. YES, NK has lied plenty in the past, and may well be still, but just because they've lied before doesn't necessarily mean they are hiding something now. I DO think they are hiding HOW the people died, but nothing more. Again, going into an empty room and demanding it be proven the room is empty is not going to give you anything tangible.
zurcronium at 12:14 AM JST - 11th August

Japan is also demanding that ABBA become the official band for NK. And that all citizens of NK wear bell bottoms and puka shells.

How foolish does this make Japan look again. NK will play of the LDP for the sorry saps that they are until this issue becomes so embarrasing for the LDP that they just stop talking about it.
kimigano at 05:29 AM JST - 11th August

smithinjapan,

you can't just BELIEVE the supposed abductees are still alive because someone says they are.

Then you better show proof that they are dead. It sounds like you are on the North Korean side here. Is your conscience ok with that? Why come to a Japan site and post this Japan-bashing nonsense?
OssanULTRA at 05:37 AM JST - 11th August

Woth the help of the new found relationship between Japan and China bilateral discussions with NKorea have been made possible and both sides are going to be able to get what they want. It's a plus for moving the 6 part talks forward and a plus for the adbuctee issue. Only blatant NKOrea supporters could find cause to criticize Japan in the light of the above article.

"And the abductees families get stabbed in the back. Thanks Bush!"

The most damaging sanctions, the financial ones stoll remaian in place. NKOrea still has a ways to go.
rivx at 07:39 AM JST - 11th August

kimigano - Then you better show proof that they are dead. It sounds like you are on the North Korean side here. Is your conscience ok with that? Why come to a Japan site and post this Japan-bashing nonsense? This is not about Japan bashing nonsense. It is about moving on. You want proof from a rouge govt? You think they bothered to document where they buried who and where? Japan should be asking for something that is deliverable. Things like taking down their nukes, the agents and management that conducted the abductions etc...
OssanULTRA at 10:16 AM JST - 11th August

"You think they bothered to document where they buried who and where? Japan should be asking for something that is deliverable."

Why do you think that reaching a satisfactory conclusion to the abductee issue is not something deliverable? The NKOrean govt has been able to deliver to us the remains of MIAs from the Korean War 57 years ago. Frankly I think this issue, provided the NKorean side is willing to be open and cooperative, regardless of whether any abductees are alive or are dead, can be brought to a satisfactory conclusion.
smithinjapan at 10:51 AM JST - 11th August

Kimigano: "hen you better show proof that they are dead. It sounds like you are on the North Korean side here. Is your conscience ok with that? Why come to a Japan site and post this Japan-bashing nonsense?"

Wrong, boy-o, I'm not on their side at all.... but I AM getting sick of the Japanese government pretending this is the most important issue in all the world while NK stockpiles nukes that could wipe Japan out in a flash.

And again... did you not read my post clearly? You fell into the exact trap that I stated; you guys are not going to stop (either searching for victims or posting) until you find something that ISN'T THERE! How are you going to get proof of a body if there is no proof? North Korea said that in at least one case the ashes were washed away in a flood... now, it's a bit hard to swallow, I agree, but if that's true, should they give you all the earth for hundreds of square kilometers and say, "Go ahead, find his/her DNA"!? Don't you get it? There's nothing to give!

I'm really sorry to make this reference, but if seems some of you just don't get it; when Iraq was asked to PROVE it had NO WMDs the world shook their heads in disbelief -- how in the hell do you provide proof of NOTHING? It's the same deal here.... Japan is DEMANDING proof of bodies that do not exist. Even if they get, in the long run, proof of SOME bodies, which is better than nothing, there's no way in hell every name of the hundreds on Japan's 'they are missing so let's say NKorea took them' list is going to be accounted for (especially since it's been proven in the past that people on Japan's NK abduction list never left Japan).

Anyway, I digress slightly. My point is, it's utterly ridiculous for Japan to have the gall to say, "Excuse me, this name is on our list of people we assume you kidnapped, so please provide proof that you did (because we have none)". The burden of proof is 100% on the Japanese. Now, for those who HAVE been proven kidnapped, the burden is on NKorea, agreed. But North Korea said they have given all proof. This 'stick and carrot' approach to getting another investigation, if it works, then great. But IF it does not, and NKorea further states that they have no possible evidence because it was washed away, etc., then people here better just pipe down, since NKorea gave in to demands to reinvestigate.

Reinvestigation does not necessarily mean Japan is going to get any tangible proof of bodies, etc. Now, if/when it DOESN'T, and Japan again goes on a whining rampage on the world stage about how this issue is the most important thing in the world, well... what are you going to do, Kimigano? You want to put MORE sanctions on NK? FINE... but given that NKorea can in return recommence its nuclear refining/weapons program and in light of the 63rd anniversaries of the atomic bombings of this nation and all who died as a result.... I suggest you rethink what issues are really important, and what ways are effective in solving them.
smithinjapan at 10:57 AM JST - 11th August

Ossan: "Why do you think that reaching a satisfactory conclusion to the abductee issue is not something deliverable? The NKOrean govt has been able to deliver to us the remains of MIAs from the Korean War 57 years ago. Frankly I think this issue, provided the NKorean side is willing to be open and cooperative, regardless of whether any abductees are alive or are dead, can be brought to a satisfactory conclusion."

I wholly believe that you are right, to an extent, and while I don't think any solution will be in the works for a long, long time (the remains of US troops from the Korean war is entirely different), I think NKorea CAN make more effort to at least try to mollify Japan somewhat. The problem is, Japan is not willing to accept anything less than what it wants to hear -- they are not willing to compromise, and this pretend effort to reach a compromise banks on Japan getting exactly what they want.... if they don't, watch how fast they take away the carrot.

I fully think that the Japanese nationals were murdered in cold-blood, and that the bodies were burned and buried somewhere where most people have no idea where to begin even looking. In some cases, who knows? maybe the ashes were washed away as NK says, or sucked into a chasm via an earthquake -- both have been known to hit NK (especially the landslides and floods due to deforestation).

If this works, and NKorea does somehow 'find' some ashes and delivers them to Japan, I'll gladly eat my own words. I want to see this issue done away with as much as anyone else, but both sides being so damn stubborn (and my stating that naturally leads sympathizers of the 'Japan-side' to think I am in favour of North Korea or some wild notion, Kimigano for example), it's hard to imagine.
nigelboy at 11:36 AM JST - 11th August

smithinjapan

North Korea does not have a tradition of cremation. Megumi Yokota was allegedly cremated in 1997 according to North Korea. However, the creamation facility was constructed near Pyongyang in 1999 according to the sources from defected NK officials. And the reason they built the cremation facility in the first place was because KJI was unhappy with the land being wasted on burial grounds. Hence, re-burrying the creamated ashes seems illogical in the regard.

And I don't think these Japanese nationals were murdered in cold blood. It does not make sense to abduct them in the first place.
OssanULTRA at 12:32 PM JST - 11th August

"The problem is, Japan is not willing to accept anything less than what it wants to hear -- they are not willing to compromise, and this pretend effort to reach a compromise banks on Japan getting exactly what they want.... if they don't, watch how fast they take away the carrot. "

Smith I think you're strictly speculating and it's only now that biliateral discussions are underway that we will see how both nations will respond to each other. Your notion of "compromise" isn't very clear. What exactly is there to compromise when what Japan is asking for is definitive information? Should they "compromise" and accept partial information? Erroneous information? Nkorea has the information, whatever it may be and it's in their benefit to trade that information for the lifting of sanctions. They spent resources conducting the abduction operations so they didn't just "lose" the information.
smithinjapan at 07:43 PM JST - 11th August

Ossan: You know, I have to applaud your very open-minded and down to earth arguments this time around. I still see some mild hypocrisy in your statement.

"Nkorea has the information, whatever it may be and it's in their benefit to trade that information for the lifting of sanctions."

And you said that it's I who is strictly speculating! Where's the proof?

"Your notion of "compromise" isn't very clear. What exactly is there to compromise when what Japan is asking for is definitive information? Should they "compromise" and accept partial information? Erroneous information?"

Again, speculation. There's nothing to prove that it's erroneous, being that there's no other evidence. And yet again, how do you KNOW there's more information? THAT is the speculation. I say if they get MORE information then they have now, even if it's only considered partial, that they take it. This thing, if it's going to work, will be in baby-steps, and no faster.
nigelboy at 09:41 AM JST - 12th August

smithinjapan.

It appears you're not really understanding Ossan's points which is the NK went great lengths to abduct Japanese citizens. Hence, the insistence that NK just "lost" the information and "lost" the remains seems ridiculous.

And please define what evidence you seek? The only evidence that seems to be acceptable to you is "admission" by the NK themselves since you're ot willing to accept the inconsistencies of the cremation period or the testimony from the NK defectors.