Posted on 04/18/2003 8:21:35 PM PDT by Oorang
TOKYO — Japan has started considering providing economic and food assistance to North Korea even before normalizing bilateral relations in the event the reclusive country agrees to abandon its suspected nuclear development program, Japanese government sources said Friday.
Although Japan and North Korea agreed in a summit last September that such aid would come after the establishment of diplomatic ties, the government decided to rethink the matter in light of upcoming multilateral talks on the North Korean nuclear standoff.
The United States, North Korea and China are to launch multilateral talks next week in Beijing to discuss the impasse, initially among the three and possibly with other countries such as Japan, South Korea and Russia joining later.
If Japan and other countries can convince North Korea to give up development of weapons of mass destruction and accept full international arms inspection, they may follow with a comprehensive pledge of energy and other forms of aid, the sources said.
Under such circumstances, Japan will have to foot its share of the cost even if the timing is before it can normalize its relationship with North Korea, according to the sources.
But such a move, most likely to come at a time when there is little if any progress on the issue of Japanese abducted to North Korea, is certain to prompt criticism and protests from the families and supporters of Japanese abducted to the North.
To alleviate this concern, the government is hoping to restart negotiations with North Korea on normalizing ties to address the abduction issue and other bilateral matters simultaneously with the multilateral talks, the sources said.
Japan is keen to make progress in its efforts to have North Korea send the families of five Japanese nationals who had been kidnapped in the late 1970s and returned to Japan last October.
But relatives of the kidnap victims are complaining about the prospect of North Korea being given aid, saying the government has betrayed them.
Sakie Yokota, whose daughter Megumi was abducted to the North in 1977 at age 13, said, "Prime Minister Koizumi promised us that he will not provide support to North Korea unless the abduction issue is resolved, so we want him to keep his word."
Toru Hasuike, brother of Kaoru, one of the five kidnap victims who returned last October, described the Japanese government as "weak-kneed" and complained that it is taking the issue of the kidnappings too lightly.
"Do they think it's a case of tens of thousands of people killed by nuclear weapons versus a few dozen people who have been abducted?" Hasuike said.
A Japanese government source said Friday that if the multilateral talks can produce a new arrangement that would replace a 1994 U.S.-North Korean nuclear accord, Japan has "no choice but to contribute even before normalizing ties."
The pact, known as the Agreed Framework, requires North Korea to freeze and dismantle its nuclear facilities, which the U.S. suspected were used for development of nuclear arms, in exchange for the construction of two light-water nuclear reactors and an interim supply of fuel oil.
Another source said, "If we can stop nuclear development, which is a vital issue for Japan, we will consider food and other aid separately from the full assistance that would come after the normalization."
The U.S. has said it is prepared to provide energy and food assistance to North Korea but on condition it promises to give up its nuclear development program and takes specific and verifiable action in that direction. (Kyodo News)
Because the Japanese are painfully aware that war on the Korean Peninsula would mean their own destruction - if not physically, then economically. The North Koreans are also aware of this and aware that the Japanese are aware. The Japanese are aware that the NKs are aware that they're aware - so on & so forth. And, so it goes....
So does the U.S. Ummmmm . . . nah.
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