Too Much Expectation

After a discussion between senior officials of Japan and North Korea in Beijing on Tuesday, the Government of Japan is moving to deciding partial lift of sanction toward the North. Although the detail is not clear so far, there is a speculation that North Korea has shown sincere attitude in reinvestigation of Japanese abductees. While its allies cast sober eyes to Tokyo, a sort of enthusiasm covers Shinzo Abe administration.

The main purpose for Director General of Asia-Oceania Affairs Bureau of Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Jun-ichi Ihara, in the meeting with North Korea’s Ambassador for the Negotiations of Normalization of North Korean-Japanese Ties, Song Ilho, was to reconfirm the authoritative power of the Special Committee for reinvestigation of Japanese abductees, which the North promised to establish in Kim Jong-un administration. Ihara revealed the reporters that the North made detailed explanation on the structure of the committee, but he refused to tell more until he would report to Prime Minister Abe in Tokyo.

Before exact result was revealed, news reports indicated lift of sanction against the North. Sankei Shimbun reported that the Cabinet would decide some measures on Friday. According to the paper, sanctions expected to be lifted would include general ban of immigrants of North Korean people and senior member of General Association of Korean Residents in Japan and prohibition of port entry against North Korean ships with humanitarian purpose such as sending medical goods. The lowest limit of reporting money taking out of Japan will also be raised from one hundred thousand yen to three hundred thousand, and reporting of money transfer will be applied on ten million yen or more, raised from three million. All of them are sanction Japan unilaterally posed.

Concerning mixed message against North’s missile experiment in toward Japan Sea, response of the United States was plain. “We continue to support their efforts to resolve the abductions issue in a transparent manner and closely coordinate with them and our other allies on DPRK,” told Deputy Spokesperson of Department of State, Marie Harf, on Japan’s attitude at the press conference. Spokesperson of South Korean Foreign Affairs Ministry told that those three allied countries recognized importance of cooperation each other.

To avoid isolation in the ally, Japan needs to explain legitimacy of promoting negotiation with North Korea. It is not clear whether authority of special investigation committee will tell enough about it. For all the parties except Japan, the highest priority is put on whether the North really abandons its ambition of nuclear and missile development.