July 6, 2017

The ballistic missile launched by North Korea on July 4 was reportedly confirmed as the nation’s first intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).

Although detailed information concerning North Korea’s nuclear weapons and missile development technologies is hidden, North Korea has steadily improved its nuclear capabilities, including the introduction of medium- and short-range ballistic missiles that can reach any part of Japan and South Korea. There is no doubt that its attack ability has entered a new phase and poses a new threat to the international community. North Korea’s missile launches cannot be allowed to continue as they violate a series of resolutions of the UN Security Council urging North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons and missile development programs.

The only way to resolve this matter is to initiate a diplomatic negotiation with the North in parallel with economic sanctions fully imposed by the international community.

U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis regarding the North Korean issue pointed out, “If this goes to a military solution, it is going to be tragic on an unbelievable scale” (May 19, 2017). If the U.S. initiates a military attack, Japan hosting U.S. bases will also become a target of North Korea’s “retaliation”, and the scourge of war will spread throughout the Northeast Asia region. Therefore, the Pentagon’s statement dated July 4 states, “The United States seeks only the peaceful denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.”

The Japanese government should not respond to North Korea by threatening military action, but should focus on realizing diplomatic negotiations with the North based on successive UNSC resolutions, the joint statement of the Six-Party Talks, and the Japan-DPRK Pyongyang Declaration.