Posted on : Sep.15,2006 15:02 KST
Economic crackdown expected to start within the month
The Japanese government is poised to impose financial sanctions against North Korea within the month, according to the Mainichi Shimbun.
The sanctions are designed to target groups or individuals suspected of activities related to North Korea’s development of weapons of mass destruction. Specifically the measures will apply to persons or groups in Japan sending or receiving money from the North, and will have the effect of freezing Pyongyang’s assets in Japan. Approximately 10 groups and individuals will be affected, and they will only be permitted to withdraw or remit cash with permission from Japanese authorities.
According to the Mainichi, two months after the United Nations Security Council resolution on North Korea, the Japanese government has reached the conclusion that financial sanctions are justified because Pyongyang is not going to have a change of heart and because Tokyo wants to keep in step with the hard-line stance of Washington in order to encourage other countries to take action, as well. The Japanese government is said to recognize that the actual effect of the sanctions is going to be limited, but the hope is that they will be a significant form of psychological pressure.
The Mainichi predicted that the sanctions would take effect under the current government of prime minister Junichiro Koizumi instead of that of the next prime minister, who will take office on September 26.
