Japanese PM Koizumi to visit Pyongyang (N. Korea's Kim Jong il) on May 22

[Dover]

Koizumi to visit Pyongyang on May 22
Kim to be asked to allow returnees' kin to leave

By KANAKO TAKAHARA
Staff writer

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi will visit Pyongyang on May 22 for talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Il in an effort to secure the passage to Japan of eight family members of five repatriated abductees, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiroyuki Hosoda said Friday.
Koizumi may bring back the relatives on the government plane on which he will be traveling, government sources said privately. Seven of the eight are offspring of the five abductees, while the eighth is the American husband of one of the five.

..snip..

U.S. Ambassador to Japan Howard Baker backed Koizumi's plan to visit Pyongyang.

"The U.S. supports Japan's efforts to gain release of the abductees and their families," Baker said in a statement. "Our sympathy goes out to all the abductees and their families, and we wish the prime minister well."

MORE >>

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/getarticle.pl5?nn20040515a1.htm
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So this must mean Kim Jong Il DID survive the train explosion.

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[Dover]

1. Experts doubt merits of Koizumi Pyongyang trip

Experts doubt merits of Koizumi Pyongyang trip

By KANAKO TAKAHARA
Staff writer

Widespread suspicion over North Korea's agenda has failed to dampen speculation that Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi may visit Pyongyang in the near future to secure the passage to Japan of the families of the five repatriated abductees.
According to some media reports, Hitoshi Tanaka, deputy foreign minister, and Mitoji Yabunaka, director of the Foreign Ministry's Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau, will hold bilateral talks on the matter with North Korea in China or elsewhere as early as this weekend. Officials would not confirm these reports.

...snip...

A senior Foreign Ministry official involved in Japan-North Korea talks has voiced concern that Japan-U.S. relations could be damaged if Koizumi pays another visit to a state Washington has branded a "supporter of terrorism."

"Japan has asked the U.S. to include the abductions in its annual report on global terrorism," the official said on condition of anonymity. "Koizumi may be criticized for the about-face."


It is widely believed the U.S. government cannot afford to seriously address North Korean issues until after the presidential election in November. Some experts warn that Washington would not welcome a change of position in Tokyo before the nuclear standoff is resolved....MORE

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/getarticle.pl5?nn20040514f1.htm

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HUH? Does this whole thing seem a little weird to anyone else? On the one hand the first article is saying that the U.S. (Baker) approves of this visit to N. Korea, while this article seems to suggest the U.S. frowns on it. Also, why is Japan pressing for this trip now?

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[chenGOD]

2. The second article is referring to a Japanese minister...

and since the current US administration can't even get their own stories straight...how the hell are they supposed to co-ordinate stories with foreign governments?

Anyways, while the Japanese kidnapping is of course an important issue, I'd much rather see the Japanese government get around to admitting culpability in the kidnapping of thousands of Korean/Chinese women and using them as sex slaves in WW2...

[Moderator]

3. Dover

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