Tokyo (AsiaNews) Japanese prime minister Koizumi's recent visit with the North Korean president Kim Jong-il in Pyongyang this past May 22 was viewed by many experts as a risky venture. Yet Koizumi has defied the odds.
In a newspaper survey conducted by the Yomiuri daily, 63% of Japanese said they were for Koizumi's trip, despite it receiving much criticism.
Koizumi traveled to Pyongyang in order to repatriate 8 family members of 5 formerly-held Japanese captives, who had been kidnapped by North Korean intelligence in 1978 but finally returned to Japan in 2002.
Only 5 men returned home that year, since the premier wasn't able to convince Charles Jenkins, the American husband of one of the women held captive and father of their two daughters.
Jenkins, a former sergeant who deserted the US army in 1965, fears being extradited to the United States if he leaves North Korea.
On a diplomatic level, Koizumi's visit aimed at reestablishing dialog between the two countries and confirming North Korea's moratorium on nuclear weapons experiments. Both objectives had been reached. Yet the visit was kept low-key, keeping discussion to a minimum as talks lasted only about 90 minutes.
North Korea has received many benefits from the meetings, as Koizumi has promised 250,000 tons in food and 10 million dollars in medical equipment. Beyond the material benefits, the premier promised to eliminate a ban on North Korean ferries from docking at Japanese ports and not to discriminate against North Korean citizens living in Japan. All three will have positive repercussions on the North Korean economy and the revival of valuable ferry services will allow North Korean residents in Japan to reach their homeland once again.
Upon Koizumi's return Japanese foreign minster Yoriko Kawaguchi called his counterparts in China (Li Zhaoxin) and South Korea (Ban Ki-moon) and the Americans secretary of state, Colin Powell, tell them about the trip's success.
All three leaders said in response that they considered the second major meeting between Koizumi and Kim to be a significant event, as overcoming Tokyo-Pyongyang tension is absolutely necessary for dialog among the "Six Nations" to have successful results in convincing North Korea to dismantle its nuclear arms program. (PC)
