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A gathering of the Japanese cult movement Aum Shinrikyo, known for releasing the toxic gas sarin on the Tokyo subway system in 1995.
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Japanese government continues to attempt absurd justifications for export controls to manage public opinion
As a reason for its controls on exports of semiconductor and other materials to South Korea, Japan has cited the argument that some of them could be diverted for use to produce toxic sarin gas. With critics even among the Japanese people viewing the export control measures as being contrary to the spirit of free trade, observers are questioning whether the Japanese government is attempting to manage public opinion by preying on the Japanese population’s sarin fears and anti-North Korea sentiment. In a report on the evening of July 9, Japan’s NHK television network quoted an unnamed government official as saying, “Despite the fact that these raw materials [subjected to controls on exportation to South Korea] could be diverted for [the production of] the chemical weapon sarin, it has become a routine occurrence for certain South Korean companies to press their Japanese suppliers to rush their supplies.” “The decision to pursue the [export control] measures was based on the conclusion that if the situation persists, it becomes impossible to rule out the risk of goods that could be diverted for military purposes passing from South Korea to another country that is developing weapons of mass destruction,” the report said. Theoretically, hydrogen fluoride – a material used for semiconductor manufacturing that was among the items subjected to export controls by Japan on July 4 – could also be applied as an ingredient for synthesizing sarin gas. But a number of analysts said the Japanese government’s specific mention of “sarin gas” as a possible use – despite the ambiguity being a feature common to all multiple-use items – was a ploy to target Japanese public opinion. In effect, it is an attempt to underscore the potential risks of hydrogen fluoride to deflect criticisms viewing the rationale for controlling South Korean exports as weak. Sarin is a toxic gas famously released in large quantities in the 1990s by the Japanese cult movement Aum Shinrikyo, resulting in numerous deaths. As such, the substance evokes intense fear among the Japanese public. At the same time, the reference to the “risk of dual-use items passing from South Korea to another country” strongly implies that hydrogen fluoride could end up leaked to North Korea. In remarks on July 7, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe seemed to tie the regulations to North Korea-related issues. “South Korea has said that it is ‘upholding sanctions [against North Korea]’ and ‘properly managing trade [with regard to North Korea],’” Abe said at the time. “[Yet] it has become apparent that it is not upholding its international promise regarding the conscripted worker [forced laborer] issue. It stands to reason that we would anticipate it would not uphold [its promises] in terms of trade management either,” he continued. Argument concerning national security effective in quieting media criticism The arguments are being seen as targeting public sentiment in Japan, where disagreement and criticism on North Korea issues are not readily tolerated. Japanese media also criticized the export control measures initially as amounting to “resistance measures” against South Korean Supreme Court rulings on forced labor mobilization, but have increasingly come to toe the line with Japanese government announcements underscoring their necessity in security terms. “[The Abe administration] seems to be opting for a security-based argument because the public response [to the export control policies] has not been favorable,” said Lee Young-chae, a professor at Keisen University. “Supporters of liberalism [within Japan] can’t really do much to protest when they start trotting out the North Korea threat,” Lee fretted. By Cho Ki-weon, Tokyo correspondent Please direct comments or questions to [english@hani.co.kr]
