“Japanese Perspectives on the Issues surrounding the DPRK”

Speech by H.E. Takekazu KAWAMURA
Ambassador of Japan to the European Union
At the European Institute of Asian Studies (EIAS)
On 31 January 2007

The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, DPRK, or North Korea, is still under the typical, Cold War era, totalitarian and dictatorial communist regime, and is one of the most urgent and delicate concerns in East Asia. It is very difficult to deal with the DPRK. One of the difficulties we face is that we know little about the inner working of the regime. Little is known, for example, about the relationship between the party and the military. Some say the latter has already assumed control, but we do not know.

The most urgent and important issues about the DPRK are the nuclear issue and the abduction issue. Today, I will start with the abduction issue as it is less known than the other, the nuclear, issue.

  I. Abduction and Human Right issues

North Korea has abducted Japanese citizens, and the issue remains unresolved.

From 1977 to 1983, agents of the North Korean government kidnapped an unknown number of Japanese citizens in Japan and abroad. In September 2002, Kim Jong Il, the leader of North Korea, for the first time and after years of denial, admitted directly to Prime Minister Koizumi that the North Korean authorities had kidnapped Japanese citizens. He apologised and agreed never to abduct foreign nationals again.

To date, of the seventeen identified abductees, only five Japanese have returned home since October 2002. None of the other victims have returned to Japan, and there has been no persuasive explanation from the North Korean authorities on the safety of the remaining twelve abductees. The Government of Japan repeatedly urges North Korea immediately to allow the survivors to return home and clarify the true facts.


Various testimonies have revealed that North Korea abducted not only Japanese people but those from, first, Republic of Korea, Thailand, Romania, and Lebanon. Furthermore, there is a possibility that the abduction victims might also include people from Europe. A few of the Japanese abductees disappeared while they were staying in Europe. The last letter from a woman abducted by North Korea was sent from Copenhagen.

It goes without saying that abduction is a violation of fundamental human rights.

Through diplomatic efforts by the EU, Japan and other countries, in December 2005, a resolution on the "Situation of human rights in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea" was adopted by a plenary session of the UN General Assembly for the first time. A year later, last December, the UN adopted resolution on the DPRK with enhanced contents and with a larger number of in-favour votes. These resolutions expressed deep concerns regarding the human rights situation in North Korea, including the issue of abduction of foreign nationals. They called on North Korea to cooperate with the UN to improve its human rights situation.

I believe that the international society is more aware of the seriousness of abduction and human rights issues of North Korea as a result of the close cooperation between Japan and the EU.

  II. The Nuclear Issue

The second issue is the development of nuclear weapons and missiles capable of carrying them.

(Ambassador Kawamura explained the Pyongyang Declaration of 2002 and the Joint Statement of the Fourth Round of the Six-Party Talks of 2005, which are documents jointly issued with the DPRK and which set the basic framework for relations with the DPRK.)

North Korea’s nuclear test on October 9th, last year, following its missile launches, which occurred between July 4th and 5th, reminded us acutely of a threat to the security of Japan and other countries.

(Missile launches)

Against the missile launches, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 1695 on July 15th. It condemned the launch of ballistic missiles by North Korea, sending a strong message by the international community.
The resolution demanded the ceasing of DPRK’s missile-related programme, the re-establishment of a moratorium on missile launches, a swift return to the Six-Party Talks without precondition, and efforts toward early implementation of the Joint Statement of the Six-Party Talks of September 2005.

Japan played an active and important role as a member of the Security Council in the process, from the drafting to the adoption of the resolution.
In this context, I emphasise the importance of the role being played by the EU, which confirmed its support for Japan’s position on this matter. In Malaysia on July 27th, High Representative Solana expressed at a meeting with Mr. Aso, the Japanese Minister for Foreign Affairs, that the EU thoroughly endorsed Japan’s position in regards to the North Korean matter and that the EU shared Japan’s concerns on the missiles issue.

(Nuclear testing)

Despite repeated warnings by Japan, the EU and the international community, North Korea, regrettably, announced that it had conducted a nuclear test on October 9th. On the same day over the telephone, recognising that the nuclear test by North Korea constitutes a grave threat to the security not only of the region but of the world, including threat of the proliferation of nuclear weapons, Foreign Minister Aso and High Representative Solana confirmed that Japan and the EU would continue to collaborate closely on this matter.

I would also like to mention that High Representative Solana, before the plenary of the European Parliament on October 11th, referred to Prime Minister Abe’s statement that Japan would not respond by developing nuclear weapons. He stated that this “shows great responsibility on the part of the Japanese government, which we should all commend.”

North Korea’s nuclear test runs counter to the Japan-DPRK Pyongyang Declaration of 2002, the agreement of the Six-Party Talks on North Korea of September 2005, as well as the UN Security Council Resolution 1695 that I just mentioned.

On October 14th, the UN Security Council, chaired by Japan, unanimously adopted Resolution 1718. The resolution condemns the nuclear test and states that the DPRK shall abandon all nuclear weapons and existing nuclear and ballistic missile programmes. The resolution stipulates that trade with the DPRK in WMD-related items be banned and assets of people and entities known to be involved in WMD programmes be frozen.

Japan fully implements Resolution 1718, and goes beyond that. Japan bans imports of all items from the DPRK. It intends to make its utmost efforts for the steady implementation of this Resolution, in cooperation with the international community. In this regard, it is very important for the EU to implement the resolution.

  III. Conclusion

　

Earlier this month, Prime Minister Abe visited Europe. He met UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, European Commission President Jose Manuel Durao Barroso, Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt, and French President Jacques Chirac. In those meetings, the European leaders expressed support when Prime Minister Abe took up these issues of nuclear weapons and missile programmes as well as abduction and human rights.