Posted on 08/27/2006 3:39:20 PM PDT by jdm
TOKYO — Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe is considering seeking tougher measures on North Korea than outgoing Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi if he becomes premier next month, hoping to help settle the issue of Japanese abductions, government sources said Sunday.
Abe, as prime minister, would also boost the power of the government's task force on the abduction issue and push ahead with new measures for economic sanctions on North Korea in cooperation with Japan's ruling coalition parties, they said. The sources said these plans would market a shift in policy from Koizumi's "dialogue and pressure" against North Korea to one stressing "pressure."
Good news for the region, if not the entire world, IMO.
US and Japan combine their financial power to shut down NK financial pipeline with outside banks is going to hurt. This will be the first usage of soft power (financial institutions) against another country. This will be interesting to watch. Will Russian and Chinese banks want to be shut from the US and Japanese markets if they continue to support NK.
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