GIVE JAPAN ITS DUE ("Don't Cave on North Korea, Mr. President")

Forbes ^ | 21 November 2007 | Carl Delfeld

[AmericanInTokyo]

Give Japan Its Due Carl Delfeld, Chartwell Advisor 11.20.07, 6:20 PM ET

As part of a deal with North Korea in the six-party nuclear disarmament talks, President Bush has decided to take North Korea off the U.S. list of state sponsors of terror.

This decision was made over the strong protests of Japan, primarily because of North Korea’s stonewalling on providing Japan with any information on a score of its citizens kidnapped by North Korea during the 1970s and 1980s. Some of the abductees were schoolchildren on their way home from school. Sure sounds like terror to me. Meanwhile, North Korea has more than a hundred nuclear missiles aimed at the heartland of Japan.

If Japan tells us this issue is of the utmost political sensitivity, we need to listen and not run roughshod over the wishes of a critical ally, especially when the deal at hand with North Korea is by most accounts deeply flawed.

Rather, our top priority in the Asia-Pacific region should be to invigorate and dramatically broaden the scope and the intensity of the Japanese-American partnership.

With the global war on terror and the rise of India and China, the relative amount of media and congressional attention paid to relations between Japan and America has dwindled. This is unfortunate, since the alliance remains as former U.S. Ambassador to Japan Michael Mansfield aptly put it: "The most important bilateral relationship, bar none."

This statement is even more on the mark today, given the wide range of issues that the robust partnership can tackle more effectively together. From regional trade issues, to fighting poverty, to making multilateral institutions more effective, to seeking more transparency and cooperation regarding regional security issues, the vital interests of both countries and the region as a whole largely coincide.

Here are just a few of the issues that need attention, publicity and action.

1) Japan deserves our unequivocal and full backing to be a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council. The window of opportunity for getting this accomplished is closing fast.

2) The need to rapidly expand the current joint effort to fund and upgrade technologies regarding missile defense.

3) With the U.S. defense budget under acute pressure and Japan’s navy now more than three times the size of the U.K.’s, it makes sense for both countries to escalate cooperation to maintain a strong deterrence in the region. The bickering and acrimony over our bases in Okinawa also need to be resolved quickly.

4) Establish a free trade zone between the two countries. China is now Japan’s largest trading partner but the complementary nature of America’s and Japan’s economies is an important consideration. In addition, China is rapidly moving up the technology ladder and over time will manufacture domestically rather than import from Japan.

5) Encouraging closer cooperation over yen/U.S. dollar exchange rates could avoid sudden and disruptive movements and allow a steady and orderly increase of the undervalued yen.

6) Jointly fund and manage economic development, conservation projects and humanitarian efforts in the region. Both countries are generous donors to the region and have the infrastructure to act quickly on a large scale.

The issue of North Korean abductees is just as important to Japan as the issue of the POW-MIA issue was to our relations with Vietnam. We need to stand firm with Japan on this one, no matter what the short-term costs.

The people of Japan are watching whether our words match our actions. Freedom is not a bargaining chip; it is at the very heart of our nation's foreign policy.

[AmericanInTokyo]

Just breaking. If Japanese news accounts just now (Sankei, in Japanese) are to be believed, President Bush actually DID THE RIGHT THING and told Prime Minister Fukuda privately a few days ago at the WH that the Norkies would also have to resolve their kidnapping of Japanese-issue, for any kind of release of the DPRK from the US "Terror Country List".

If true, I am glad that President Bush has apparantly overrulled the State Department and Condi Rice, specifically top State Dept. negotiator Chris "Jong" Hill, who according to Nikkei was embarrassingly busy looking at his Blackberry last week as Bush was making a joint statement with Fukuda, generating public commitments that might have somewhat fettered and boxed in State.

That chap Chris Hill needs to be watched like an eagle and reigned in, IMHO. Who knows, maybe the outrage in Congress, on FR and within the general US conservative community brought the President back to his senses over North Korea--the situation had gotten mightly "wobbly" recently to paraphrase the Iron Lady. The situation nevertheless merits close monitoring--it is still touch and go and all kinds of rotten deals could be worked out all in the hopes of "Legacy"--once the spotlight is off of Pyongyang and naive appeasement of them.

[AmericanInTokyo]

Tiger, Seven, Jet, etc., take a look.

[AmericanInTokyo]

Ping

[Cicero]

I suppose the State Department advised this.

I’m sick and tired of seeing our government compromise its principles and risk our country’s security just because some rogue dictator might TALK to us if we give him everything he wants.

What’s said here about Japan raises the stakes. But this kind of nonsense isn’t in our national interests anyway.

[snowsislander]

If Japanese news accounts just now (Sankei, in Japanese) are to be believed, President Bush actually DID THE RIGHT THING and told Prime Minister Fukuda privately a few days ago at the WH that the Norkies would also have to resolve their kidnapping of Japanese-issue, for any kind of release of the DPRK from the US "Terror Country List".

I certainly hope so. That would be very welcome news.

[TigerLikesRooster]

Well, I hear that "Jong" Hill's entourages are holding talks with N. Koreans on letting Norks into international financial system. These guys act as though removing N. Korea off the list of terrorist regimes were a foregone conclusion.

It seems that State Dept. pushes its agenda and publicize its spin of events, which are readily shared by S. Korean gov., while in the background there are others who try to rein on them.

A couple of months ago, there was an article featured by S. Korean news agency Yonhap which said that many N. Korean experts in Beltway were let down and frustrated by "Jong" Hill's escapades and especially Pentagon folks were visibly upset over what is going on. I suspect such a conflict still continues.

[AmericanInTokyo]

I would not blame Japan for putting a little <<外圧>> "gaiatsu" themselves on the USA, behind the scenes, to dislodge the quisling, appeasing State Department-types from the overall equation. This could have come in the form of "OK, then we will drag our feet a little bit more about refueling you guys in the Indian Ocean with our kaijojietai ships". Something like that, tit-for-tat. This is intrigue, "s" happens. I perfectly understand Japan's position on this point (also in line with conservative South Koreans and freedom loving people everywhere when it comes to Kim Jong il), as it conflicts with mealy-mouth, striped-pants, candy-ass State Department 100%. It is a no brainer as to who I want to win on it, when/if it comes down to Japan's hardliners vs. our very own Bush Administration State Department.

[AmericanInTokyo]

Yes, the wording used is very interesting these days.

State's Chris "Jong" Hill, talks of "working with the DPRK", and "our lawyers are working things out with their lawyers", and this kind of naive, pipe-dream crap.

The Japanese papers today are filled with the US-North Korean "financial talks" in New York City which just ended today, with the US "teaching North Korea how to behave".

It is really almost a sick, pathetic joke.

[AmericanInTokyo]

Yep. Bush Administration State Department's Glaser is also in on this crap. He is the fool who rigged the money deal that allowed North Korea to get their seized terror money out of that bank in Macao, back to Pyongyang. The Japanese media this morning is no fool and is all over it:

<<米国からグレーザー財務次官代理（テロ資金・金融犯罪担当）、北朝鮮からは財政省のキ・グァンホ局長（対外金融担当）が出席した。グレーザー次官代理はマカオの金融機関、バンコ・デルタ・アジア（ＢＤＡ）の北朝鮮資金送金問題で交渉を担当した。（>>

[TigerLikesRooster]

Love to give them Ceausescu treatment some day. I can dream, can’t I?

[Cicero]

I hope they do. I once had dealings with the State Department, when the Guatemalan Ambassador to the UN trashed our house, which we had rented to him while spending a year in Europe. We learned first hand that the State Department doesn’t give a rat’s tail about the rights of citizens when they can placate a foreign government instead.

So, who would the State Department rather placate, North Korea or Japan? I think the answer is fairly obvious.

(We won a moral victory, anyway, since we persuaded a friend who then wrote for the NY Times to do a couple of articles about the Ambassador’s behavior in the matter. This guy was expected to be the next president of Guatemala when he returned to his country, but maybe the bad publicity did him in, since he was passed over. Finally, shortly after he returned home, an earthquake destroyed his house in Guatemala. So we had to pay to fix up our house, but he ended up paying a lot more.)

[AmericanInTokyo]

Yep.

Also, (above) a blast from the past and present. North Korean poster celebrating DPRK-USA Relations.

[AmericanInTokyo]

Very fascinating story!

[VOA]

bump

[Candor7]

As part of a deal with North Korea in the six-party nuclear disarmament talks, President Bush has decided to take North Korea off the U.S. list of state sponsors of terror.>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

I do not Believe it!

North Korea was apprehended transfering Nuclear Tech to Syria about a month ago. Israeli post op intel showed NK bodies being raked out of the rubble of a nuclear reactor construction site!

If true, this is a giant kafibble worthy of Madelaine Albright

The Japanese are quite right to be exercised over the issue if true.

But then Japan now has an anti-military PM and government in place, that is warming up to Red China bigtime, so maybe Dubyah isn't going to listen to them much anymore.

[Cicero]

Yes, the new Japanese government is worrying, but that’s all the more reason not to offend them and worsen matters. Better to keep a low profile and hope for another change.

And you certainly confirm my point that this crazy idea is against OUR national interest as well as Japan’s.

[AmericanInTokyo]

Believe it.

Talk to Bolton.

He knows the score.

It shows every indication of going that way. Until the outrage began to get a little hot for State, and Bush apparantly made a statement that should have the effect of reining them in a little...for the time being at least...but this is indeed the big picture. Cheney is still a voice of reason within the Administration, but he is increasingly isolated as a lot of good allies have left, replaced by appeasers or know-nothings.

Bottom line, Candor 7, there are STRONG forces at work in D.C. who are striving toward DPRK-USA full mutual diplomatic relations for next year, economic aid, the whole nine yards, culminating even perhaps in a Peace Treaty! Japan is neither amused nor fooled.

[Candor7]

Me too, I would pick the Nihonji hard liners everytime over the State Department's Clinton-appointed career pussies.

Daijobu, tora shukushukuto shingeki, kawazu dotabatayaru.

[Lauren BaRecall]

Wow, that's quite some celebration! Fireworks and everything! :o)

Meanwhile, I'm waiting to see if I'm going to have to post this thing again....

[AmericanInTokyo]

<<なるほど>> (I see!)