Japan decides not to cosponsor N. Korean human rights resolution with EU

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe

Decision behind Abe’s plans to arrange summit with N. Korea, Kyodo News reports

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe

After cosponsoring the North Korean human rights resolution at the UN along with the European Union for the past 11 years, Japan has decided not to do so this year.

During a press conference on Mar. 13, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga announced that Japan would not be submitting a resolution about the human rights situation in North Korea to the UN Human Rights Council when it meets in Geneva, Switzerland.

“US President Donald Trump raised the issue of Japanese citizens abducted by the Japanese during the recent North Korea-US summit, and the two leaders had a serious discussion about that,” said Suga. He explained that the decision not to submit the resolution was “the result of comprehensively considering all the circumstances surrounding the results of the summit and the abductee issue.”

From 2008 until last year, for 11 years in a row, Japan submitted a resolution to the UN criticizing the human rights situation in North Korea.

“Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said that the abductee issue is a matter that concerns Japan and that Japan should be the one to deal with it. He also expressed his determination to be the next to sit down with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. He intends for Japan to take bold action and not miss any opportunity to resolve the abductee issue, which is the administration’s greatest priority,” Suga said.

Kyodo News argued that Abe’s attempt to arrange a summit with North Korea to resolve the abductee issue was behind Japan’s decision not to back the North Korean human rights resolution.

But if the EU submits the resolution on its own, NHK reported, Japan is still planning to cast a vote of support. When asked about whether Japan would vote in support of the resolution, Suga only said that “that’s being arranged with related countries.”

On a related note, the Japanese government is planning to extend its independent sanctions against North Korea for two years. As part of those sanctions, Japan doesn’t permit any imports to or exports from North Korea and closes its ports to North Korean ships and ships from Japan and other countries that have called at North Korean ports. NHK reported that the Japanese government is planning to extend its sanctions during a cabinet meeting that will be held at the beginning of next month.

By Cho Ki-weon, Tokyo correspondent

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