Involved in Blaming Game

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe addressed at annual United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday, which persistently accused North Korea of its intimidation with nuclear test and launching ballistic missiles. Trying to fan a sense of threat in developing weapons of mass destruction, Abe labeled North Korea as “manifested itself directly before us as an open threat to peace.” U.N. does not work for him, however, because it heavily relies on consensus of five permanent powers including China.

Abe blamed North Korea of its three missile launches followed by nuclear explosion test earlier this month. “It fired three ballistic missiles simultaneously, each traversing 1,000 kilometers to reach Japan’s exclusive economic zone. It is purely a matter of good fortune that no commercial aircraft of ships suffered any damage during this incident. This year alone, North Korea has launched a total of 21 ballistic missiles. In addition, it claims to have successfully detonated a nuclear warhead in a test on September 9^th,” remarked Abe.

Boasting that raison d’être of U.N. was being tested, Abe required the nations to take action against the threat. “We must therefore respond to this in a manner entirely distinct from our responses thus far. We must concentrate our strengths and thwart North Korea’s plans,” said Abe. And he demanded U.N. Security Council to “indicate an unmistakable attitude towards this threat of a new dimension.”

Abe also accused North Korea of its trampling human rights. “The country carrying this out is a country that abducted a large number of Japanese, including a girl aged 13 at the time. We are demanding that North Korea return them immediately, but they have not agreed upon doing that and deprived them of their peaceful lives and not allowing them to return to their homeland even now,” Abe stressed.

Praising President of United States, Barack Obama, of his historical visit to Hiroshima four months ago, Abe hoped total elimination of nuclear weapons. In that context, he blamed the North again. “Despite this, North Korea is now escalating its provocations. This is a challenge posed to the conscience of humankind. Were we to overlook it, how would we justify it to our own consciences?” argued Abe.

Before the address to U.N.G.A., Abe met with Chinese Prime Minister, Li Keqiang. To Abe requiring closer cooperation to deter North Korea, Li plainly said that China would be cooperating with Japan on issues in Northeast Asia. The meeting was held in the U.N. building for a few minutes, with both leaders standing on the floor. Abe just sent his wish to Chinese President Xi Jinping with a hope to his visit to Japan later this year for the trilateral summit meeting including South Korean President, Park Geun-hye.