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Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga with US Vice President Mike Pence in Washington, DC, on May 10. (provided by the Japanese Foreign Ministry)
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Yoshihide Suga indicates possible “economic support” if relations are normalized
Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said in a recent US visit that Japan “is prepared to break the shell of mutual distrust with North Korea and get off to a new start.”
Speaking at a New York symposium on the afternoon of May 10 organized by the Japanese government on the issue of Japanese nationals abducted to North Korea, Suga said that North Korea “can draw a bright future for itself” if it “chooses the right path,” adding that Japan would be “unsparing in its support,” Kyodo News reported. The remarks about “unsparing support” suggested that Japan could provide North Korea with economic support if diplomatic relations are normalized between the two sides. Previous plans for economic cooperation were declared following the normalization of relations in the 2002 Pyongyang Declaration by then-Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and North Korean leader Kim Jong-il during the former’s visit to North Korea.
Suga also said the abductee issue was “facing a critical moment,” adding that Japan would “not miss the opportunity to act boldly to resolve the matter quickly.”
Suga’s remarks were a continuation of the Japanese government’s recent message stressing its willingness to hold a summit with North Korea. In a May 10 meeting with US Vice President Mike Pence, Suga said Prime Minister Shinzo Abe “hopes to meet personally with [North Korean leader] Kim Jong-un without insisting on any preconditions.”
Even amid its hopes for negotiations with the North, the Japanese government is also stressing the continuance of economic sanctions. Speaking to reporters after his meeting with Pence, Suga said Washington and Tokyo “agreed that it is extremely dismaying that North Korea has continued its provocative activities with its ballistic missile launch on May 9.”
“We also affirmed that we will be thoroughly implementing sanctions based on UN Security Council resolutions for the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula,” he also said.
Many are viewing Suga’s visit as a basic diplomatic “debut” for someone who has recently been mentioned as a possible successor to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. During his trip, he met with acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on May 9 and Pence on May 10. Around 40 other officials joined Suga on his visit including Abe’s aide Hiroto Izumi and bureau directors from the Japanese Ministry of Defense.
By Cho Ki-weon, Tokyo correspondent
Please direct comments or questions to [english@hani.co.kr]
