Inner Quarrels Revealed

This naïve leader cannot withstand a small itchiness on his soft point. Frustrated with the criticism of a former diplomat on the handling of Japan-North Korea relationship, Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, cried out for denouncing him. As known as a hardliner against the North, Abe must have thought that he needed to save his face. However, it is not what a leader of a nation would do to openly get into a squabble with his former staff, showing the world troubles inside the government of Japan.

The starting point was an interview article of Mainichi Shimbun to former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hitoshi Tanaka, who made the underground negotiation with the officials of North Korea for the summit talk between Jun-ichiro Koizumi and Kim Jong-il in 2002. In the interview, Tanaka indicated that Abe’s attitude shown in the willingness to review Murayama Statement, that acknowledged the aggression and colonization of Japan to Asian nations in the World War II, made foreign countries regard Japan as right-leaning and give them a reason to be offensive to Japan.

Abe made his counteraction not directly to Tanaka, but through Facebook. “He made a critical mistake as a diplomat. He is not worthy to tell about diplomacy,” wrote him, with a story that Tanaka appealed to let abductees back to North Korea, when they made a temporary visit to Japan after the summit talk between Koizumi and Kim, and the government of Japan decided not to let them back. In short, excited with the argument raised by Tanaka, Abe revealed the inner struggle on the dealing with returned abductees. The problem here is that the prime minister is using social network service in a way as an ordinary people are using as an outlet of daily frustration. Abe’s colleagues in his party even sneer his excessiveness.

In a conference later, Tanaka explained the conversation within the government then. “I said that it might take a long time to return the children to Japan,” he said. He defended himself saying that he had shown an analysis that if returned abductees had chosen to stay Japan permanently, the North Korea would retaliate Japan with delaying the return of the abductees’ kids. On “unworthy” comment of Abe, Tanaka said that he did not believe a prime minister to violate freedom of speech.

It obviously is unusual for a prime minister to get excited with a diplomat’s comment on one issue. That showed how Abe was serious about abductees issue and relationship with North Korea. But, he has always been making wrong choices on North Korea issue. While the parties were considering about the attitude toward the North, Abe unilaterally decided further sanction against it. When they were tightening the sanction, Abe sent an unofficial envoy to the North. This narrow-minded diplomacy will last during his term.