Searching What Can Be Done

The government of Japan continues to assess the impact of consecutive intimidation of North Korea with launching missiles in Japan’s economic exclusive zone and experiment of nuclear explosion demonstrating improvement of technology on mass destructive weapons. Ministry for Foreign Affairs recognizes that those activities of North Korea opened “new phase” of security in Northeast Asia. Shinzo Abe administration is accelerating to take defensive measures against those threats.

Ministry of Defense held a meeting of highly ranked officers on Monday. Prime Minister Abe addressed that it was intolerable for North Korea to have two nuclear tests in only nine months. “They ignore the voices of accusation from international society and repeat launching ballistic missiles. It is unprecedented situation,” told Abe to the officers. In a meeting with the leaders of leading parties, Abe stressed that Japanese government would seek further sanctions in United Nations Security Council and other original ones by Japan.

Diplomatic efforts are accumulated. Bureau Chief of Asia-Pacific in MOFA, Kenji Kanasugi, had a meeting with Special Representative for North Korea Policy in United States Department of State, Sung Kim, on Monday. They reconfirmed to maintain close communication to take maximum measures against North Korea in U.N.S.C. and urge China to implement a resolution for economic sanction passed in March. “U.S. is going to make utmost efforts to protect its allies from threat of North Korea,” told Sung to the reporters.

Uneasiness of Japanese government is getting stronger, anyway. Government of South Korea announced that the North was preparing for another nuclear test. While the experiment this month was operated in a tunnel used for former tests, South Korea found some other new tunnels for nuclear explosion in the site. Raising tension in Korean Peninsula, U.S. Air Force is sending a B-1 strategic bomber to South Korea.

Those measures may be offset by reluctant response of neighbor countries around North Korea represented by China. Asahi Shimbun reported that Chine had known the plan of the North’s nuclear experiment before the explosion was actually practiced. “There was a information from an officer with North Korean government that the North needed to have the test to counter possible surgical measures of U.S. and South Korea,” told a source in Chinese government to Asahi. What China did to North Korea was expressing its opposition. There was no actual effect to say “I don’t like it.”

“We will consult and cooperate with China and Russia that are permanent members of U.N.S.C. and neighbors of North Korea,” told Japan’s chief Cabinet Secretary, Yoshihide Suga. Although it was unusual for him to call China and Russia neighbors of North Korea, it is still unclear what can be done with that consultation or cooperation.