Solo Play on Abduction Issue

The discussion was about abduction issue, in which an unofficial envoy from Japan told North Korean official that Japan would take no action without any achievement on it. Isao Iijima, an adviser of the Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, returned from four-day stay in North Korea on Saturday. Details of his schedule there is still unspoken. But, it is obvious that he could make no actual deal on nuclear and missile issue, because the circumstance of the negotiation was strictly limited by concerted effort of The United States, China and South Korea, putting pressure on the North. So his achievement should be about bilateral issue between Japan and North Korea at most.

According to the news reports in Japan, Iijima had met with high-class officials including Kim Yong-nam, the president of the presidium of the Supreme People’s Assembly, and Kim Young-il, the director of international affairs in the Workers’ Party of Korea. Without meeting with the supreme leader, Kim Jong-un, the North treated Iijima with the highest protocol for an unofficial envoy. The seriousness for accepting Iijima sent a message to the world that the North was willing to have negotiation in various channels other than official governmental contacts.

The purpose and the result of Iijima’s visit are still unclear. Reportedly, he told the officials of the North that Japan would seek a comprehensive deal in issues on abduction, nuclear and missile development. On abduction, he asked the North of immediate returning back of abductees, developing the facts in abduction and transferring the suspects. The response of North Korean government was unknown.

Iijima also met with an official of the Workers’ Party of Korea, who was in charge of the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan. The association, working as North Korea’s representative office in Japan, is supposed to leave the building in Tokyo due to its huge amount of debt. Although it is a matter of contract between private sectors, the North supposedly asked Iijima to help the association stay in the building.

Even though the result was not revealed, the United States has shown certain frustration with Iijima’s visit. US Special Representative for North Korea Policy, Glyn Davies, left Tokyo a day before Iijima’s return home. Davies told the reporters before his leaving that North Korea was taking advantage of the difference of countries to separate them. From the view point of US, Japan might look like to be seeking unilateral benefit in the bilateral issue, ignoring the effort of other countries cooperating each other.

Abe said he would directly hear from Iijima about his trip, if necessary. The ultimate purpose of Abe should be making a deal on the abduction issue directly with Kim Jong-un. But, as long as the majority of countries are insisting on putting pressure on the North, Japan’s pivoting from pressure to dialogue would never work.