JCP Shii urges Fukuda to work on comprehensive resolution of bilateral issues with N. Korea

   Concerning North Korean issues, Japanese Communist Party Chair Shii Kazuo in his interpellation in the House of Representatives on October 4 stated as follows:

   On October 3, China, the chair of the Six Party Talks on the North Korean nuclear program, released the agreement on the second-phase actions centered on the disablement of nuclear facilities and complete declaration of all nuclear programs.

   The JCP welcomes this agreement as an important step towards denuclearization.

  The urgent task now is for the Japanese government to strengthen its cooperation within this framework and take a lead in bringing about a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula in order to establish peace and stability in Northeast Asia including Japan.

   It is regrettable that many countries in the world feel that the Japanese government lacks enthusiasm on the nuclear issue, despite the fact that the North Korean nuclear program is one of the most pressing issues for Japan.

   It is my thinking that if, in fact, there is such a weakness, it must be boldly corrected.

   With respect to the relations between the abduction issue and nuclear issue, it is important to work on the comprehensive resolution of all issues, including the nuclear issue, abduction issue, and the settlement of historical issues based on the spirit expressed in the Japan-North Korea Pyongyang Declaration.

   In the process for the comprehensive resolution, a solution to a particular issue may come first. However, if a positive breakthrough is produced concerning any particular issue, it should not hinder the solution to other issues but help them to be resolved. In other words, if the ongoing process brings about a reasonable solution to the nuclear issue, it will create new conditions accelerating the process of reaching a solution to the abduction issue.

   The Japanese government’s proactive stance on the nuclear issue will promote international understanding of and assistance for the solution to the abduction issue. I think this is the basic stance that the Japanese government should adopt in conducting the diplomatic negotiations.

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   In response to Shii’s questioning, Prime Minister Fukuda Yasuo stated, “The government will work on the settlement of the tragic past and the comprehensive resolution of pending issues like nuclear, abduction, and missile, and achieve the normalization of Japan-North Korea relations. The government will make utmost efforts to advance both the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and bilateral relations with North Korea, including resolving the abduction issue.”

- Akahata, October 5, 2007