Tokyo to soften line on N Korea

By David Pilling

Published: November 12 2007 22:24 | Last updated: November 13 2007 02:55

When Yasuo Fukuda, Japanese prime minister, meets George W. Bush, US president, in Washington on Friday, he will offer a slightly more conciliatory approach on North Korea and a promise to do his best to pass anti-terror legislation.

The Japanese prime minister is braced to hear that Washington intends to take North Korea off its list of state sponsors of terrorism as a reward for promises on nuclear disarmament.

Under Shinzo Abe, Mr Fukuda’s predecessor, who built his career on being tough on Pyongyang, that would have been seen as betrayal. Mr Abe’s position was that no concessions should be made to North Korea without progress on the issue of Japanese citizens abducted by Pyongyang in the 1970s and 1980s.

But Mr Fukuda appeared more accommodating. “We certainly do not think that the US is engaging in its discussions over nuclear disarmament with North Korea in a lax manner. The North Korean nuclear weapons are a major threat to Japan,” he said. He added that he hoped the abduction issue could be resolved at “more or less the same time”, through separate discussions between Tokyo and Pyongyang.

Kaoru Yosano, chief cabinet secretary during the last days of the Abe administration, was less coy about Japan’s softer stance. “Taking North Korea off the list of terrorist countries is something that will happen in the course of US-North Korean negotiations. If it is necessary to the US for the purpose of successful negotiations, why should we deny it?”

Mr Fukuda said he would also tell Mr Bush he would “strive to pass a new law” enabling Japan to refuel US and other ships in the Indian Ocean as part of anti-terror operations.

Japanese ships steamed home on November 1 after six years in the Indian Ocean when the opposition Democratic Party of Japan, which controls the upper house, blocked the extension of enabling legislation.

FT.com / World - Tokyo to soften line on N Korea