Sanction Unilateralism

The United Nations Security Council unanimously approved the resolution condemning North Korea of its launch of missile last month and adopting sharper economic sanctions. Having abduction issue with North Korea, the government of Japan welcomed this action of UN to be pressure for returning abductees. Japan, however, needs to mind that unilateral sanction will not work well as actual pressure to North Korea.

Abe administration seemed to have been waiting the resolution. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe delivered a comment saying “We welcome the resolution adopted, on which our idea had been largely reflected.” Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga indicated a possibility that Japan might unilaterally set economic sanction toward North Korea.

Abe is well known as a hard-liner to North Korea. As Vice-Chief Secretary of Koizumi Cabinet, he insisted on solving abduction issue, and joined the delegation to Pyongyang when Kim Jong-il admitted the existence of abductees in North Korea. It is fair to say that Abe became the Prime Minister because of his name value in abduction issue. As PM, Abe decided Japan’s unilateral sanction before UN adopted a resolution of denouncing North Korea’s nuclear test in 2006.

Japan’s sanction has not been working so effectively. It refused North Korean ships in ports, prohibited all importing goods and blocked all persons who had citizenship of North Korea. But North Korean economy was basically dependent on China, not Japan. As long as China supports North Korean regime, Japanese sanction does not mean much. Moreover, there are a number of enterprises in Japan, which have close relationship with North Korea. Gambling business, having growing popularity, is known to have underground ties. Money flowing from those businesses also supports North Korean economy.

New UN resolution includes freezing foreign assets of North Korean bank, which deals with weapons trade. It is still unknown to what extent the resolution works. As far as it is unlikely for Japan to shut down all money to North Korea, pursuing a deal with China is a faster way to put pressure on it. But, Abe is also known as a hard-liner toward China. He does not have an effective measure for leading China to harder sanctions.

After all, it is possible that Japan’s unilateral sanction is symbolic action, without any meaningful effect on its target. Considering a possibility of China, being skeptical against Japan, to take softer attitude to North Korea, unilateral sanction is not the best way for Japan to put penalty on the unilateral country like North Korea.