Seeing eye to eye with a neighbor

未来志向の日韓関係を

During the two-hour meeting, held in the hot springs resort of Ibusuki, Kagoshima Prefecture, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and South Korean President Roh Moo Hyun agreed to expand bilateral exchanges and speed up talks on a free-trade agreement. They agreed to meet twice a year.

Japan and South Korea, as close neighbors, are destined to cooperate with each other. The immediate question is how to deal with the nuclear ambitions of North Korea. When it comes to the abductee issue, the two leaders are not of the same mind, although both believe that bringing the North Koreans into the international community is essential to prosperity and stability in East Asia.

At a news conference following the meeting, President Roh said Japan should be very careful about imposing economic sanctions on North Korea. Mr. Roh expressed concern that sanctions might adversely affect six-party talks on ending the North Korean nuclear standoff.

The advice for caution is well taken. Yet the possibility persists that sanctions will become a realistic option if Pyongyang continues to prevaricate. North Korean leader Kim Jong Il would be only too happy to see a rift between Tokyo and Seoul. Japan and South Korea should work more closely toward resolving the nuclear and abductee problems.

Pyongyang's reply regarding the fate of Ms. Megumi Yokota, one of the abductees, is difficult to understand. Recently it produced what it claimed was her remains, but DNA tests here proved that they are somebody else's. It defies common sense that Pyongyang has rejected as "unacceptable" the result of a scientific test conducted by an established research institution.

Mr. Koizumi and Mr. Roh agreed to wait and see because, they said, it is unclear what Pyongyang is up to. Did it hand over another person's remains intentionally? Does it have something up its sleeve? Whatever the answer, Pyongyang should carry out a thorough investigation, as Mr. Kim promised in his May meeting with Mr. Koizumi.

South Korea has its own abductee problem, but Mr. Roh's top priority is to improve inter-Korean relations while working toward a resolution of the nuclear issue. It remains unclear, however, when the six nations involved — the United States, China, the two Koreas, Japan and Russia — will hold the next round of talks. The last round was held in Beijing in June.

No doubt Pyongyang is watching how the second administration of U.S. President George W. Bush begins. Therefore analysts say the next round may not be held until February or March. North Korea, meanwhile, has indicated, citing the abductee issue, that it will not sit down at the same table with Japan.

The United States, South Korea and Japan need to cooperate closely on the nuclear issue. The question is whether they should emphasize more dialogue or pressure. U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage takes a position that seems to suggest a hard line.

Mr. Koizumi and Mr. Roh agreed on the need to step up discussions on U.N. reform. South Korea remains non-committal on whether to support Japan's bid for permanent U.N. Security Council membership; it has only made a nuanced statement that confidence is necessary in Asia. The statement could be taken to mean that Japan must first come to terms with its colonial past.

The two nations are planning a variety of exchange programs in 2005, the "year of friendship," to mark the 40th anniversary of the normalization of relations. An estimated 4 million visitors are expected for 2004, and 5 million for 2005.

These figures, however, need to be taken with a grain of salt. Anti-Japanese feelings remain strong in South Korea. Emotional cinders could flare up unless efforts are continued to establish a bilateral relationship that looks to the future, not the past.

The Japan Times Weekly
Dec. 25, 2004
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      小泉首相と盧武鉉韓国大統領は、17日に鹿児島県指宿市で日韓首脳会談を開き、両国間の交流を拡大し、自由貿易協定についての交渉を推進することで合意した。

      隣国である日韓共通の問題は、北朝鮮の核開発への対応である。両首脳は、北朝鮮の国際社会への参加が東アジアの繁栄と安定に重要であることについては合意したが、拉致被害者問題の解決については意見の一致を見なかった。

      会談後の記者会見で盧大統領は、対北朝鮮経済制裁は核問題に関する6ヵ国協議に影響を及ぼす恐れがあり、慎重を期すべきと述べた。大統領の考えに確かな根拠があるにしても、北朝鮮がごまかしを続ければ経済制裁は現実的問題となるだろう。

      北朝鮮が提出した横田めぐみさんの遺骨と称する骨は、DNA鑑定の結果、別人のものと判明した。信頼すべき研究機関の鑑定結果を「認められない」とする北朝鮮の態度は理解しがたい。 韓国も日本と同様の拉致被害者問題を抱えているが、盧大統領は核問題の解決に努力しながら南北関係の改善を図る方針を優先している。

      北朝鮮は第二次ブッシュ政権の出方を注目しており、次回6ヵ国協議は2月、3月まで開かれない公算も強い。北朝鮮は、拉致被害者問題にからみ、日本と同じテーブルにはつかないとも言っている。

      日米韓は、核問題について協力すべきだが、問題は、対話と圧力のどちらに重点を置くかだ。

      日韓両国は、国交正常化40周年に当たる05年に多様な交流計画を進めている。04年には、日韓間の往来客数が400万人、05年には500万人にのぼると予想されている。

      しかし過剰な期待は禁物だ。韓国では今も反日感情が根強い。未来志向の2国間関係を築く努力を怠れば、反日感情が強まるおそれがある。