Japan wary of resumption of Inter-Korean talks

January 6, 2018

Tokyo- The resumption of high-level talks between South and North Korea, now set for Tuesday, is causing concern within the Japanese government, as the move could throw cold water on the international community's efforts to pressure the North to abandon its nuclear and missile programs.

Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told a press conference on Friday that his country will continue to closely cooperate with the United States and South Korea to keep up the pressure on North Korea.

"There's no change in our stance of maximizing pressure through all methods in order to make North Korea change its policy," Suga stressed.

His comments came after the South Korean Unification Ministry announced earlier in the day that Pyongyang has accepted Seoul's offer to hold high-level talks on Tuesday, the first inter-Korean talks since December 2015.

At the press conference in Tokyo, Suga underscored the need to carefully watch North Korea's next move following its acceptance of the resumption of talks with the South.

The top government spokesman also said that an agreement between the United States and South Korea on Thursday to refrain from joint military drills during the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, "won't jeopardize efforts to strengthen pressure on North Korea."

The Japanese government plans to urge South Korea not to make concession to the North over the nuclear and missile issue, as the South is eager to successfully host the Olympics with the North's participation.

Ahead of the South-North meeting on Tuesday, Japan will send Kenji Kanasugi, director-general of the Foreign Ministry's Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau, to hold talks with senior South Korean officials in Seoul on Monday. He is set to warn the South Korean government not to relax pressure on the North.

On Friday, Kanasugi held telephone talks with US Special Representative for North Korea Policy Joseph Yun. The two reaffirmed the need to pressure North Korea and agreed to continue trilateral cooperation among Japan, the United States and South Korea in dealing with the reclusive country.

Japan is concerned that South Korea may provide humanitarian aid to North Korea in exchange for the North's acceptance of an invitation by South Korean President Moon Jae-in to join the Olympics. Such aid would reduce the effects of the existing international sanctions against the North.

"The international community has been deceived by North Korea's apparent positive stance toward talks in the past," Japanese Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera pointed out at a separate news conference on Friday.

The Japanese government does not necessarily oppose the South-North talks. "We should tolerate talks for success in the Olympics," a government source said. Still, a senior Foreign Ministry official warned, "The agenda of the South-North meeting should be limited to issues related to the Olympics." Jiji Press