Japan slaps Pyongyang with trade sanctions

The Washington Times ^ | October 12, 2006 | Andrew Salmon

[John Carey]

Japan halted trade with North Korea yesterday, while the United States and other nations sought additional penalties against the communist state for reportedly conducting a nuclear test.

President Bush demanded tough sanctions against North Korea, but he vowed to find a diplomatic solution to Pyongyang's defiance and said there were no plans for a military attack.

North Korea threatened unspecified "physical measures" against the United States and its allies, while South Korea said it was reviewing its defenses against a nuclear attack.

Japan's sanctions were the most substantive steps against the North since Monday's reported nuclear test at an underground site north of Pyongyang.

It banned all imports from North Korea and prohibited North Korean ships from entering Japanese ports.

"We cannot tolerate North Korea's actions if we are to protect Japanese lives and property," Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said after an emergency security meeting. "These measures were taken to protect the peace."

Meanwhile at the United Nations, the United States is expected to push for a vote on North Korea by the end of the week despite opposition from China to some of the sanctions aimed at punishing Pyongyang for its reported nuclear test.

[freeangel]

Good for Japan! Too bad the rest of the freakin world can't figure it out.

[Thrownatbirth]

Well, no HDTV for the masses...

[WestVirginiaRebel]

"Dis is intoreraber! Now where me gonna serr cds of me singing crassic pop favorites me advertise on infomerciars?"

[PA-RIVER]

The clock is ticking, Fuse is lit.

Kim is as dumb as a rock.

North Korean army will begin starving .... then strike out of desperation and hit Japan.... and then get smashed if China stands back and looks the other way.

Japan, South Korea, and our Navy and airforce would make mincemeat of them in a few weeks if China stands back.

This is World war III in slow motion, but I think ready to slam into high gear.

NK can starve their peasants but not their army. This fuse is short.

[Larry Lucido]

Um, what the hell were they doing trading with them in the first place?

[ClearCase_guy]

I just checked the doomsday clock at the website of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists and learned:

The Doomsday Clock was last moved on February 27, 2002 and currently stands at seven minutes to midnight.

I think the clock only moves closer to midnight when the Bulletin decides that the US is endangering the world. Apparently, Korea is not worrying them.

[BookaT]

The worst it has been is 2 minutes to midnight, I have heard. There was an Iron Maiden song about it call, you guessed it, "2 Minutes To Midnight."

I just found it.

1953 - The United States and the Soviet Union test thermonuclear devices within nine months of one another. Clock changed to two minutes to midnight (one minute closer, its closest approach to midnight to date).

1984 - Further escalation of the arms race under the U.S. policies of Ronald Reagan. Clock changed to three minutes to midnight (one more minute closer).

You can see all the changes here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doomsday_clock

[COBOL2Java]

So I guess this now means the Potbellied Pinko will declare war on Japan? After all, that's what one of his mouthpieces threatened the other day!

[GonzoGOP]

First thing to do would be for Japan to change the name of the Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force back to the Imperial Japanese Navy. The tiny change in paperwork, and the change of national intent it indicates, would probably scare the excrement out of the Chinese sufficiently to pull the leash on their attack dog. If not well then its easier to type IJN than JMSDF.

However if it actually starts shooting this is going to get ugly as the Dear Chia Leader has nothing to loose and even if every tube he has pointed as Seoul only gets off one shot before finding itself on the wrong end of a JDAM he would still flatten most of the city. We are talking billions of dollars of damage and unless there are evacuations lots of civilian casualties. There is also the problem of how long can you keep your largest city, industrial, financial, and political capitol evacuated. We most certainly won't start this fight, but there won't be much left of the Dear Leader or his country if he does.

[tomzz]

More than sanctions are called for since the idea of a country with people starving to death owning atom bombs is clearly insane. A total naval blockade is the least the situation requires.

[PGalt]

BTTT

[bert]

.....what the hell were they doing trading with them in the first place.....

The ship depicted on Fox News as being banned is a passenger vessel, a big ferry. I think there is traffic in NK people coming to Japan to visit and to live as workers.

This will effectively cut off the people traffic and the flow of funds back to NK.