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  greensatindress at 11:59 AM JST - 27th June

  >

  wake up and smell the O-Cha, Japan, he's been doing this to us since September 12th, 2001. >

  my sentiments exactly.

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  Betzee at 12:10 PM JST - 27th June

  You know that they stoop to the gutter when dealing with Japan,

  What they constantly do is remind their citizens of the horrors Japan inflicted on Korea, then one country, during WWII. In other words, it's really the Koreans who are the victims here.

  It's best to avoid pitting victims against each other on some sort of suffering index. The Japanese government has an obligation to do everything it can to ascertain what happened to its abducted nationals. But the rest of the world has an interest in halting North Korea's nuclear program. We learned over the past eight years that the "we won't speak to you until you stop enriching uranium" strategy was counterproductive. Over that time NK gathered enough material for several nuclear weapons, tested a nuclear device and aquired the missiles to deliver them.

  Conservatives no doubt are blasting GWB for appeasement while liberals wonder why we had to wait so many years for this.

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  alexandrina at 12:37 PM JST - 27th June

  What twoddle!

  Those who offer up this twollop don't understand the Asian 'mind-set' at all in any sense of the word. You will never stop North Korea developing a nuclear arsenal, to do so would be an insufferable loss of face, they will just develop underground and out of sight. The West will never dominate North Korea ; they have WON this battle.

  There will be no United Nations inspectors permitted on that territory,or can you argue differently? The only reason that they have given as much as they have just now is because they know that Bush is on the way out and sanctions are killing them. Then add to the mix the fact that Bush wants some tiny achievement scraps to add to his list of non-achievements during his 8 disastrous years in office. It was a strategic move no more, no less.

  The comfort women issue won't fade away, and neither will the hatred between these two nations, as individuals educated in Japanese History may argue , the mistrust and animosity travels way back in time, and was reinforced as far back as the 10th Century. Forget the Taliban and Osama; Kim Jong-il is the sleeping giant.

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  smithinjapan at 12:51 PM JST - 27th June

  The Japan/NK abduction is just that -- an issue between JAPAN AND NORTH KOREA! That's called a 'bi-lateral issue', my friends, and has nothing at all to do with the US taking them off the list of terrorist countries, much like EU countries removing embargos on Cuba (and sorry, skip, that only angers/saddens a few people as well, while the rest of the world sees it as 'progress').

  It is indeed sad for the families here that still actually think their loved ones are alive in NK (despite not having a shred of evidence), and I DO feel for them to an extent, but they have to realize that this is necessary in the long run, even for the survival of ALL Japanese (given that NK has nukes that would wipe out Japan if push came to shove).

  If Japan is upset about this, then they should use their feelings to actually push for NK to resolve the issue THEMSELVES instead of asking the world to do it for them.

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  Youdontknow at 12:53 PM JST - 27th June

  How can they feel disappointed at this? Obviously they are not looking forward and still living in the past.

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  Betzee at 01:01 PM JST - 27th June

  The only reason that they have given as much as they have just now is because they know that Bush is on the way out and sanctions are killing them.

  Nonsense. Pyongyang was desperate to get off the list of states who sponsor terrorism and willing to give up something for that. The regime's goal, first and foremost, is survival. Loss of face is not an issue because they can spin any development to their own people as a "victory." Who's gonna argue otherwise?

  For years the US was the ultimate boogeyman and then Madeleine Albright turned up in Pyongyang. The Clinton overtures were made with the expectation the regime wouldn't last long after the USSR was disbanded and the PRC had embarked on free market capitalism.

  The GWB administration came into office determined to do everything differently from its predecessor. But after 9/11 North Korea became a sort of an annoyance, Kim Jong-il was junior varsity material in the world of terrorism. Dealing with it was sort of relegated to others. As a result few have either a clear grasp of either the history of the six-country negotiations or the nuts and bolts of developing a nuclear weapon.

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  rajakumar at 01:09 PM JST - 27th June

  Way to go USA/NKorea. Delisting and sanctions removal, peace making and ending confrontation will bring far reaching peaceful atmospere in to far east region/world.

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  timorborder at 01:20 PM JST - 27th June

  Appeasing Hitler didn't work, what has changed?

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  sharpie at 01:23 PM JST - 27th June

  Let's be serious here. Did anyone, even for a second, believe that the US had Japan in mind when making any decisions? Come on, Japan. Wake up. They don't care about Japan. Yet in every photo-op or news conference, every Japanese official has this smile from ear to ear for some reason. It's like, I'm getting majorly screwed over by these guys, yet I have a smile on my face. Haha, this is my American friend. Welcome, let me kiss your ass. Japanese foreign policy---HA! What a joke! The Japanese foreign policy statement's first paragraph starts off with...What he said.

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  japanyesterday at 02:02 PM JST - 27th June

  Maybe the families should be upset at her own gov for not having Nkorea on a "listo no akuma"

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  suckit at 02:24 PM JST - 27th June

  So what if the Kin are upset? Why should the world suffer for a few? I am sorry for them being abducted. it was wrong!!! But in all ends i think the US will look out for the Country before another countries citizens.

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  medievaltimes at 02:46 PM JST - 27th June

  Could someone please post about the details of the abductions. How exactly did they abduct them? How eactly did they get from Japan to N. Korea? Thanks!

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  KyouNoNippon at 04:22 PM JST - 27th June

  medievaltimes

  This is one inherent problem with the list of abductees. Many people who have disappeared have simply been put on the list with little to no evidence of abduction.

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  xmoning at 11:59 PM JST - 27th June

  I think it to early also when the lie stop it shoud part of the trades.

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  JoeBigs at 02:33 PM JST - 30th June

  Here is my take on this issue one the Chine.....errr sorry always do that when it comes to North Korea......Let me try it again....Ok, One the reason that this issue will be pushed under the table is that the Japanese Government needs it to be pushed under the table.

  The Japanese government knows full well that it can push the U.S. to force the NK to release the hostages (sorry politically incorrect what I ment to say was the abductees) from the clutches of Mr Monchichi. But then that would upset China and the LDK wont get its vote when the new UN security council votes on new members.

  The U.S. is a rag doll and doesn`t have the push to do much these days either.

  Later

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