Approaching North Korea

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi revealed that she had requested North Korea to have a summit meeting with Kim Jong Un to settle the issue of abduction of Japanese. Takaichi has been recognized as a hardliner to North Korea. It is unclear whether Pyongyang will accept the request. North Korea’s abduction issue is well known as an agenda with which former prime minister Shinzo Abe earnestly grappled. Takaichi is likely to attract the conservative groups that follow Abe’s legacy.

Takaichi told about the request in her speech to a meeting of abductees’ community held in Tokyo on November 3rd. She insisted that she would make best effort whatever it takes to secure lives of Japanese abductees and sovereignty of Japan. “I will seek a practical outcome through one-on-one meeting between supreme leaders and taking bold actions as the leader,” said Takaichi.

 

Abe argued that North Korea had kidnapped some Japanese citizens away in 1970s and 1980s. He attended prime minister Jun-ichiro Koizumi’s visit to Pyongyang in 2002 as deputy chief cabinet secretary and brought five abductees back to Japan, proving his argument to be true. Although Pyongyang expected those five abductees to get back to North Korea, Abe suggested Koizumi not to let them return to North Korea, arguing that they should not get back to the hand of kidnappers.

 

Although it is supposed a certain number of abductees are living in North Korea, the negotiation over abduction issue were halted. Although both governments agreed at Stockholm in 2014 on making research on Japanese abductees, the negotiation did not resume as North Korea promoted missile launches and nuclear test, violating resolutions of the United Nations Security Council.

 

After Abe left the prime minister’s office in 2020, North Korea sought resumption of dialogue with Japan. Former prime minister Fumio Kishida explored a breakthrough with North Korea with secret negotiation by officials on both sides. Kim sent a message of consolation to Kishida on a great earthquake in Noto Peninsula in January 2024. Kim’s sister, Kim Yo Jong, once referred to a possibility of summit meeting between two leaders in February 2024. However, the dialogue did not last long as North Korea strengthened military alliance with Russia.

 

Takaichi is willing to succeed this agenda from previous administrations, especially Abe’s. During the state visit of the President of the United States, Donald Trump, in October, she introduced families of abductees to Trump, asking support of the U.S. In the meeting with the President of Republic of Korea, Lee Jae Myung, Takaichi raised North Korea’s abduction as a common issue.

 

Takaichi says that she puts highest priority on the abduction issue as former administrations did. However, she can have no viable scenario to settle the dispute, as economic sanction or enhancement of defense capability does not work as a leverage. Abduction issue looks turning to be an agenda to unite the conservative powers for a cause of anti-North Korea.

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