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2005 Japan Special Weapons News

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

December

• DPRK-Japan Inter-governmental Contacts Made KCNA 27 Dec 2005 -- A report on the DPRK-Japan inter-governmental contacts was made public on Dec. 25.
• KCNA Blasts Japan's Fresh "Abduction" Racket KCNA 26 Dec 2005 -- As already well known to the world, the Japanese reactionaries have worked hard to garner support from the international community, clamoring for solving the "abduction issue" in the past.
• Japan Says North Korea Agrees to 3 Sets of Teams for Talks VOA 25 Dec 2005 -- Japanese officials say two days of talks with their North Korean counterparts in Beijing have led to a breakthrough concerning unresolved issues between the countries.
• Japan Calls Latest Nuclear Threat by North Korea 'Suicidal' VOA 20 Dec 2005 -- Japan says it would be "suicidal" for North Korea to push ahead with several announced atomic reactor projects, but China says multi-party negotiations aimed at ending Pyongyang's nuclear weapons programs are still on track.
• Japanese Prime Minister Defends Shrine Visits VOA 13 Dec 2005 -- The Japanese prime minister has told Southeast Asian leaders meeting in the Malaysian capital that he fails to understand why the Chinese prime minister refuses to meet him because of his visits to a controversial war shrine.
• Japanese Cabinet Approves Extension of Iraq Troop Mission VOA 08 Dec 2005 -- Japan's government has formally extended its non-combat military mission in Iraq.
• Japan Refuses to Back Down to Asian Neighbors VOA 07 Dec 2005 -- Japan's Foreign Minister is calling on China to show more transparency in military affairs, and says the issue of visits by Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi to a war shrine should not hinder relations with Japan's Asia neighbors.
• Iraqi Prime Minister Says Japanese Troops Must Not Leave VOA 06 Dec 2005 -- Iraq's prime minister says it is essential for Japanese troops to remain in his country.
• Japan Expected to Heed Iraqi Plea to Keep Troops in Samawah VOA 05 Dec 2005 -- Japan is expected to heed a plea by the Iraqi prime minister, currently on a visit to Tokyo, to extend the country's deployment of non-combat troops in southern Iraq.
• Japan's Moves to Possess Armed Forces Assailed KCNA 05 Dec 2005 -- The Japan Liberal Democratic Party deleted the sentence saying that "Japan shall not possess the three services of the armed forces" from Article 9 of the present Constitution and instead stipulated that "Japan shall maintain national defence forces for self-defence with the prime minister as their supreme commander" in its amendment to the constitution to be submitted to the Diet for examination.
• Japan's Coast Guard Seeks to Boost Maritime Patrols in East China Sea VOA 02 Dec 2005 -- In a move expected to further worsen already poor relations with China, Tokyo is preparing to significantly boost its defense patrols in disputed areas in the East China Sea.

November

• Iraq Hopes Japanese Troops Stay Beyond Mid-December VOA 25 Nov 2005 -- Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari has received a multi-billion-dollar debt waiver from Japan, but he was not able to win a solid commitment from the Japanese to keep their troops in southern Iraq.
• Putin Promises Japan Oil, but not Islands VOA 21 Nov 2005 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin, on a three-day visit to Japan, met for more than two hours with Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi
• Koizumi-Putin Summit to Discuss Territorial Dispute VOA 20 Nov 2005 -- After attending the APEC leaders' summit in South Korea, Russia's president visits Japan.
• Japan, Russia Do Not Expect Kurile Agreement RFE/RL 17 Nov 2005 -- Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and Russian President Vladimir Putin are reportedly not likely to sign a joint political statement on their disputed territories at their upcoming meeting.
• Japan Protests Russian Comments On Disputed Islands RFE/RL 16 Nov 2005 -- Japan today protested comments by a Russian official criticizing Tokyo's stance on a territorial dispute between the two nations.
• Japan's Dangerous Moves for Nuclear Weaponization Blasted KCNA 08 Nov 2005 -- Japan is massively stockpiling plutonium under the pretext of "laying in stock nuclear fuel".
• Japan, North Korea Reach No Agreements During Direct Talks VOA 05 Nov 2005 -- Japanese officials on Saturday said no breakthroughs came out of two days of direct talks with North Korea held in Beijing.
• DPRK Sends Back Japanese Woman KCNA 04 Nov 2005 -- As already reported, Kazumi Kitagawa, a Japanese woman, illegally entered Sinuiju area of the DPRK after throwing herself into the River Amnok from a sighting boat during her tour of Dandong, China, and asked it to accept her request to seek refuge on Aug. 24, 2003.
• Japan, North Korea Resume Bilateral Talks VOA 03 Oct 2005 -- Japan and North Korea, both parties to the six-nation North Korea nuclear disarmament talks, are meeting in Beijing to discuss bilateral issues.
• Japan, North Korea Set to Resume Bilateral Talks VOA 02 Nov 2005 -- Japan says it hopes to resolve a lengthy dispute with North Korea over kidnappings when the two countries resume talks Thursday

October

• US, Japan Military Deal Strengthens Ties, Draws Protests in Japan VOA 30 Oct 2005 -- Some local politicians in Japan are giving a thumbs-down to the agreement between Tokyo and Washington realigning U.S. military forces in the country.
• Transcript: News Briefing with Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld 29 Oct 2005 -- Presenter: Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Minister of State for Defense of Japan Yoshinori Ohno and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Japan Nobutaka Machimura
• U.S., Japanese Leaders Recommend Closer Ties, Troop Shifts AFPS 29 Oct 2005 -- Some 7,000 Marines of the headquarters of the 3rd Marine Expeditionary Force will relocate from Okinawa, Japan, to Guam over the next six years as part of recommendations accepted by the United States and Japan today.
• US, Japan Agree on New Defense Relationship VOA 29 Oct 2005 -- The United States and Japan agreed Saturday on the most sweeping change in their military relationship in more than 35 years, including a sharp reduction in the number of U.S. Marines on Okinawa and a greater role for Japan in alliance military operations.
• South Korea Hints at More Distant Relationship with Japan VOA 26 Oct 2005 -- One day before leaving on a visit to Japan, South Korea's foreign minister has suggested his country may scale back its ties with Tokyo.
• US, Japan Agree on Relocation of Military Air Base on Okinawa VOA 26 Oct 2005 -- A major barrier has been cleared for a deal between Japan and the United States on the realignment of American forces in the country
• Japan's Parliament Approves Extension of Afghan Naval Mission VOA 26 Oct 2005 -- Japan's Parliament has approved a one-year extension of the country's naval mission to support U.S.-led troops in Afghanistan
• Japan, North Korea Consider Resuming Direct Talks VOA 24 Oct 2005 -- Japan and North Korea say they are considering a resumption of bilateral talks as part of efforts to normalize relations.
• Japan Urged to Drop Its Hostile Policy toward DPRK KCNA 17 Oct 2005 -- The DPRK-Japan relations keep deteriorating and the Japanese reactionaries' moves to isolate and stifle the DPRK have reached their extremes in recent years, says Rodong Sinmun Friday in a signed article.
• Japanese Police Target North Korean Scientific Groups VOA 15 Oct 2005 -- Japanese police have carried out raids at 11 locations linked to North Korean institutions in Japan. Authorities are focusing on two shadowy groups that some Korea-watchers contend are front organizations engaged in technical and scientific espionage for Pyongyang.

September

• Japan, China Resume Talks on Disputed Undersea Gas Field VOA 30 Sep 2005 -- China and Japan resumed negotiations Friday over one of their more serious disagreements - this one involving oil and gas exploration in disputed waters in the East China Sea.
• Japan Rejects Russian Claim On Disputed Islands RFE/RL 28 Sep 2005 -- Japan has rejected President Vladimir Putin's insistence on Russian sovereignty over four islands seized by the Soviet army at the end of World War II.
• Japan to Extend Military Mission to Afghanistan VOA 21 Sep 2005 -- Japan says it plans to extend the country's commitment to provide naval support to U.S. troops in Afghanistan.
• Japan Renews Bid for UN Security Council Seat VOA 16 Sep 2005 -- Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi has renewed Tokyo's call for a permanent seat on the U.N. Security Council.
• Japan to Continue Push for Permanent Security Council Seat VOA 13 Sep 2005 -- Japan is vowing to continue its quest to obtain a permanent seat on the U.N. Security Council.

August

• Russian, Japanese border guards conducting joint exercise off Japanese coast RIA Novosti 19 Aug 2005 -- Russian and Japanese maritime border guards have begun a joint exercise off Japan's western coast near the Niigata prefecture, Japanese state channel NHK reported Friday.
• Japan's Prime Minister Apologizes for Country's World War II Legacy VOA 15 Aug 2005 -- Japan's Prime Minister marked the 60th anniversary of the end of World War Two with a statement, approved by the Cabinet, containing an apology. But in a nationally televised address at a memorial ceremony, Junichiro Koizumi's words were more muted in the presence of Japan's emperor.
• HIROSHIMA: 'STRONGEST POSSIBLE' CASE FOR NON-PROLIFERATION US Dept. of State IIP, Foreign Media Reaction 10 Aug 2005
• Nagasaki Remembers August 9th, 1945 Atomic Attack VOA 09 Aug 2005 -- The southern Japanese city of Nagasaki briefly fell silent Tuesday morning to recall the wartime nuclear attack 60 years ago that turned it into an inferno, instantly killing tens of thousands of people - and hastening the end of World War Two.
• Nagasaki Marks 60th Anniversary Of Atomic Attack RFE/RL 09 Aug 2005 -- The Japanese city of Nagasaki today marked 60 years after becoming the second city to suffer atomic attack with a call for the United States to give up its nuclear arsenal.
• 60th Anniversary of Hiroshima Bomb Comes at Watershed Time for Japan VOA 06 Aug 2005 -- The Japanese city of Hiroshima is marking the 60th anniversary of the atomic bombing of the city by a U.S. military aircraft in the closing days of World War Two
• Hiroshima Remembers Atomic Bombing RFE/RL 06 Aug 2005 -- Hiroshima has been remembering the day when a U.S. plane dropped an atomic bomb over the city 60 years ago.
• JAPAN, TAIWAN AGREE IN ASSESSMENT OF CHINA'S MILITARY STRENGTH CNA 02 Aug 2005 -- Japan's prediction that China will begin to prevail against Taiwan militarily from 2006 unless Taiwan engages in an aggressive military build-up is in full agreement with a forecast by the Ministry of National Defense (MND) , a ministry official said Tuesday.

July

• Row over Pyongyang's Abduction of Japanese Threatens to Disrupt Nuclear Talks VOA 23 Jul 2005 -- As delegates to next week's nuclear disarmament talks with North Korea begin gathering in Beijing, the nations involved are already hinting at their individual agendas, providing a glimpse of what subjects may or may not be discussed.
• Japanese Defense Minister Gets Okay To Shoot Down Missiles VOA 22 Jul 2005 -- Japan's Parliament has passed a law authorizing the country's defense minister to order incoming missiles shot down without permission from the prime minister or the cabinet
• South Koreans Fighting Eviction of a North Korean School in Tokyo VOA 15 Jul 2005 -- A group of South Koreans, including more than 30 members of that country's National Assembly, are appealing to Tokyo's metropolitan government not to evict a Korean elementary school from land that it has used rent-free from decades. What is remarkable about the support from South Korea is that the school is run by an association allied with communist North Korea.
• US and Japan Seek Concrete Results in Korea Talks VOA 12 Jul 2005 -- The United States and Japan have agreed that concrete results concerning North Korea's nuclear weapons development must come out of re-started six-party talks later this month.
• Japan Says Abducted Japanese Must Be on Korea Talks Agenda VOA 11 Jul 2005 -- U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice arrives in Japan late Monday ahead of talks Tuesday with top Japanese officials.
• JAPAN CLOSELY WATCHING CHINESE NAVY: DEFENSE WHITE PAPER CNA 03 Jul 2005 -- As China's nuclear-powered submarines have increased their activities, Japan must watch the Chinese navy closely, according to the latest draft of Japan's defense white paper.

June

• Relatives of Japanese Abducted by North Korea Begin Sit-in VOA 24 Jun 2005 -- Relatives of Japanese abducted by North Korean agents are holding a three-day sit-in near the prime minister's office in the Japanese capital.
• Japan Hit for Hastening Build-up of MD System KCNA 22 Jun 2005 -- Japan is now giving spurs to the building of the Missile Defense System by going over to the development stage in the plan of Japan-U.S. joint researches into the MD under the pretext of coping with the "missile threat" from the DPRK.
• Koizumi and Roh Back Six-Party Nuclear Talks, Seek Understanding on History VOA 20 Jun 2005 -- The leaders of Japan and South Korea have agreed to pursue joint research aimed at easing tensions over the countries' differing perceptions of history. In a brief "shuttle summit," they also pledged cooperation on efforts to end North Korea's nuclear weapons programs.
• KCNA on Japan's Foolish Attempt at "Regional Sanctions" against DPRK KCNA 15 Jun 2005 -- There is a growing tendency in Japan to intensify economic sanctions against the DPRK.
• Japanese Reactionaries' Loudmouthed "Threat from North Korea" under Fire KCNA 09 Jun 2005 -- Rodong Sinmun Wednesday carries a signed article disclosing the deceptive nature of the Japanese reactionaries' loudmouthed "theory on threat from north Korea".
• China Lashes Out at G-4 Proposal to Include Japan in UN Security Council Expansion VOA 07 Jun 2005 -- China has stepped up its criticism of a proposal by Japan, India, Brazil and Germany to become permanent members of the U.N. Security Council.
• Japanese, South Korean Ministers Discuss North's Nukes AFPS 04 Jun 2005 -- Korean and Japanese defense ministers today called on North Korea to return to the Six-Party Talks aimed at ending North Korea's push for nuclear weapons.

May

• China-Japan Boundary Dispute Talks End with No Agreement VOA 31 May 2005 -- Chinese and Japanese officials have reached no agreement following two days of talks on a boundary dispute in the East China Sea.
• China/Japan: New Sour Note On Bilateral Relations RFE/RL 24 May 2005 -- China's strained relations with Japan took another turn for the worse yesterday when Vice Prime Minister Wu Yi cancelled a meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, and cut short her visit to Japan. Beijing blamed the decision on remarks made by the Japanese premier about visiting a controversial war shrine, which honours convicted war criminals as well as Japan's 2.5 million war dead. China has repeatedly criticised visits by Japanese leaders to the shrine.
• Senior Chinese Official Suddenly Cancels Koizumi Meeting VOA23 May 2005 -- Japan says it is at a loss as to why China's Vice Prime Minister Wu Yi at the last minute canceled a meeting Beijing had requested with Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi.
• North Korean Ferry Makes First Port Visit of the Year to Japan VOA 18 May 2005 -- A North Korean cargo and passenger ferry, a major economic link for the cash-strapped communist state, has arrived at a northern Japanese port for a 24-hour visit - its first journey to Japan this year.
• Japan to Build Plants in China to Dismantle Chemical Weapons VOA News 15 May 2005 -- Japan reportedly is planning to build 12 new facilities in China to dismantle chemical weapons left behind by the Imperial Army at the end of World War II.
• Japan, South Korea Not Worried By Reported North Korean Missile Test VOA 02 May 2005 -- Japan and South Korea are downplaying the seriousness of a reported missile launch on Sunday by North Korea.

April

• CHINA-JAPAN TENSIONS: 'COMPETING FOR DOMINANCE IN ASIA' US Dept. of State IIP, Foreign Media Reaction 25 Apr 2005
• Japan, China Meet, Attempt to Mend Fences VOA 23 Apr 2005 -- The leaders of Japan and China met Saturday in Jakarta on the sidelines of a summit for African and Asian leaders, in an attempt to ease tensions over Japan's wartime past.
• Koizumi Apologizes for Japan's Past Abuses, Plans to Meet with Chinese President VOA News 22 Apr 2005 -- Japan's Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi has apologized before officials of Asian and African countries for crimes committed by the Japanese Army before and during the Second World War.
• Koizumi Apologizes for Japan's Colonial Past VOA News 22 Apr 2005 -- Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's apology before the Asian-African Summit in Indonesia is being viewed at home as nothing overly significant.
• Japanese Prime Minister Apologies for War Crimes VOA News 22 Apr 2005 -- Mister Koizumi used a speech at the Asia-Africa summit in Jakarta to offer an apology for what he called the "tremendous damage" Japan inflicted upon its Asian neighbors during the 1930s and '40s.
• Japan Hopeful China will Engage in Talks About Rift VOA News 20 Apr 2005 -- Japan says it hopes Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and Chinese President Hu Jintao will meet on the sidelines of a summit in Jakarta this week to mend the growing rift between the two countries.
• U.S. Envoy To Japan Backs Tokyo's Bid for Security Council Seat Washington File 18 Apr 2005 -- The new U.S. ambassador to Japan says the United States backs Tokyo's bid to become a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council.
• China: Beijing Says Relations With Tokyo Worst In 30 Years RFE/RL 18 Apr 2005 -- Tensions between China and Japan continue to escalate, with Beijing on Monday saying bilateral relations are at a 30-year low. For the third week in a row, thousands of anti-Japanese protestors held violent demonstrations in Chinese cities on Saturday and Sunday, raising concerns about regional stability.
• JAPAN-CHINA UN VOA 18 Apr 2005 -- Japan's quest for a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council is one of the factors fueling the anti-Japan protests that have erupted across China. Hopes are fading fast that Japan will win a seat anytime soon.
• ANTI-JAPANESE PROTESTS ERUPT AGAIN IN SEVERAL CHINESE CITIES CNA 17 Apr 2005 -- Anti-Japanese protests erupted again Sunday as Japan's foreign minister arrived in Beijing, with protesters in many Chinese cities clashing with police.
• JAPAN/PROTESTS/REACT VOA 17 Apr 2005 -- In Japan, expectations are (were) high that the Japanese foreign minister's meeting with his Chinese counterpart in Beijing will calm tensions between the two countries.
• CHINA/JAPAN/DIPLOMACY VOA 17 Apr 2005 -- China has refused to apologize to Japan's foreign minister, following days of sometimes violent anti-Japanese demonstrations. The Chinese protesters have denounced Japan's bid for a permanent seat on the U.N. Security Council and what they say is Tokyo's downplaying of its 20th Century militarism.
• CHINA / ANTI-JAPANESE PROTEST VOA 16 Apr 2005 -- On the eve of a visit by Japan's foreign minister to Beijing, thousands of Chinese took to the streets in at least three cities to protest Japan's approval of a school textbook allegedly glossing over its 20th century aggression in Asia. Japan has lodged a protest about a wave of rowdy demonstrations in China this past week.
• JAPAN-CHINA DISPUTE VOA 13 Apr 2005 -- In a move likely to further exacerbate tension between Tokyo and Beijing, Japan has announced it will begin granting concessions for test drilling for natural gas and oil in waters disputed with China.
• JAPAN-CHINA TENSIONS VOA 12 Apr 2005 -- China and Japan are engaged in a war of words over which country is to blame for anti-Japanese demonstrations in China. The dispute has prompted strong words from the prime ministers of both countries.
• Japan to propose early implementation of CTBT at NTP review session IRNA 10 Apr 2005 -- Japan will propose that participants at a forthcoming international nuclear conference include a statement urging an early implementation of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty in a final document to be adopted at the end of the meeting, government officials said Sunday.
• JAPAN/CHINA/PROTESTS VOA 10 Apr 2005 -- Two Japanese students have been beaten in Shanghai, and large anti-Japanese demonstrations have taken place in two southern Chinese cities. Hapan has lodged a formal protest over a violent demonstration at the Japanese Embassy in Beijing a day earlier.
• CHINA / JAPAN PROTESTS VOA 09 Apr 2005 -- Thousands of people have taken to the streets in China's capital to voice their anger against Japan for approving a controversial history textbook. Demonstrators called for a boycott of Japanese products to push Japan to apologize for wartime aggression.
• Japan links loan resumption to sharing of N-info: Pak daily IRNA 08 Apr 2005 -- Japan has said that it intends to resume loan facility to Pakistan, but similar to Islamabad share information on nuclear proliferation with Tokyo, a local press report said on Friday.

March

• JAPAN CHINA ISLANDS VOA 28 Mar 2005 -- Japan has pushed Chinese diplomats for more information about Beijing's search for natural gas in areas of the ocean the two countries both claim. Japanese diplomats proposed the two governments take steps to improve ties.
• SOKOR/JAPAN RELATIONS VOA 24 Mar 2005 -- South Korean officials are backing away from some tough language by President Roh Moo-Hyun over territorial dispute with Japan. But they continue to say they will not hesitate to confront Tokyo when necessary.
• JAPAN/SARIN ATTACK/ANNIVERSARY VOA 19 Mar 2005 -- Japan is remembering the lethal nerve gas attack on the Tokyo subway system by a religious cult 10 years ago Sunday. A decade after the incident, legal appeals drag on, and survivors say they are suffering with little outside support.
• SOKOR / JAPAN DISPUTE VOA 17 Mar 2005 -- The South Korean National Security Council says relations with Japan have been "seriously hurt" by a Japanese claim this week to several disputed islands.
• SOKOR/JAPAN ISLANDS VOA 16 Mar 2005 -- South Korea vented its anger Wednesday after a regional legislature in Japan passed a symbolic resolution about a set of disputed islands. As street protests over the matter are intensifying in Seoul, so is the level of the South Korean government's official response.
• Moves of U.S. and Japan to Tighten Their Military Alliance under Fire KCNA 15 Mar 2005 -- The U.S. and Japanese reactionaries have systematically supplemented and rounded off the joint military operation plan and the order of action under the pretext of "ensuring security" and "coping with threat" since the demise of the Cold War.
• Japan Can Never Be Permanent Member of UNSC: DPRK Representative to UN KCNA 14 Mar 2005 -- It is intolerable and contrary to the basic mission of the UN for Japan to be a permanent member nation of the UNSC in view of the fact that it committed crimes against humanity in the past and is reviving militarism and posing a threat to Asia and its surrounding countries.
• Japan Has No Qualification to Be Permanent Member of UNSC KCNA 14 Mar 2005 -- Rodong Sinmun Sunday in a singed article stresses that Japan has no qualification to be a permanent member of the UN Security Council in all respects, noting that it is an impudent and imprudent behavior for Japan to make desperate efforts for the membership, not aware of its position.
• Japan's Territorial Claim to Tok Islet Refuted KCNA 02 Mar 2005 -- Japanese Ambassador in Seoul Takano at a recent press interview asserted that Tok Islet belongs to Japan. Earlier, a draft act on instituting Feb. 22 as "Day of Tok Islet" was submitted to the Shimane Prefectural Assembly of Japan.
• Abe's Political Hysterics Flayed KCNA 02 Mar 2005 -- Acting Secretary General of the Liberal Democratic Party of Japan Abe these days never opens his mouth without blustering about "economic sanctions against north Korea."
• KCNA Slams Japan's Perfidy to DPRK-Japan Pyongyang Declaration KCNA 01 Mar 2005 -- The ultra-right wing forces of Japan are spreading the false rumor that the DPRK abrogated the DPRK-Japan Pyongyang Declaration, peddling "abduction, nuclear and missile issues".
• JAPAN/NORTH KOREA SHIPS VOA 01 Mar 2005 -- A new Japanese law has come into force that effectively bars most North Korean ships from docking in Japan - a move seen as a de facto sanction against the communist state.

February

• Japan's Dangerous Attempt at Preemptive Attack under Fire KCNA 28 Feb 2005 -- Japan's recent move to purchase Tomahawk cruise missiles and revise the "law of Self-Defense Forces" under the pretext of intercepting ballistic missiles is not for "defence" but for a preemptive attack and it is a dangerous military move which runs counter to the present constitution prohibiting a war.
• Japan Strongly Warned against Its Application of Sanctions against DPRK KCNA 28 Feb 2005 -- Acting Secretary General of the Liberal Democratic Party of Japan Abe in a recent lecture blustered that "now is the time for Japan to impose economic sanctions upon north Korea," saying "it should apply them against it even this month".
• KCNA Blasts Japanese Heavyweight's Cry for Economic Sanctions against DPRK KCNA 28 Feb 2005 -- The cry made by Acting Secretary General of the Liberal Democratic Party of Japan Abe for applying economic sanctions against north Korea is stirring up public furor nowadays.
• KOREA NUCLEAR TALKS VOA 26 Feb 2005 -- The United States, Japan and South Korea have urged North Korea to return to six-nation talks on its nuclear weapons program. Washington and its top Asian allies also want China to do more to lure Pyongyang back to the negotiating table.
• U.S.-JAPAN JOINT SECURITY STATEMENT: CONCERNS OVER AN 'EMERGING CHINA' US Dept. of State IIP, Foreign Media Reaction 24 Feb 2005
• S KOREA JAPAN ISLANDS VOA 24 Feb 2005 -- As Japan and South Korea seek closer cooperation on the North Korean nuclear issue, a longstanding territorial dispute is flaring up and causing friction between Tokyo and Seoul.
• Japan's Plot for Reinvasion of Korea Flailed KCNA 21 Feb 2005 -- The Japanese militarists' efforts to justify the adoption of their new "defense program" and the permission of the exercise of the "right to collective self-defense" under the pretext of "military threat" from the DPRK are nothing but a plot to reinvade Korea in league with the United States.
• U.S., Japanese Leaders Discuss Security Situation in Asia AFPS 19 Feb 2005 -- The United States and Japan today urged North Korea to return to the Six-Party Talks, and both countries pledged to work more closely to defeat terrorism and ensure peace in Asia.
• U.S., Japan Urge North Korea to Return to Six-Party Talks Washington File 19 Feb 2005 -- The United States and Japan have called on North Korea to return "expeditiously and without preconditions" to the Six-Party Talks aimed at dismantling its nuclear programs.
• Rice, Machimura Call on North Korea to Rejoin Talks Washington File 19 Feb 2005 -- The United States and Japan have urged North Korea to return to six-party talks and make a commitment to dismantle all its nuclear programs.
• US/JAPAN NOKOR VOA 19 Feb 2005 -- Japan and the United States are urging North Korea to return to regional talks over ending its nuclear weapons program. The U.S. Secretaries of State and Defense met with their Japanese counterparts in Washington Saturday, where they also expressed concerns about Taiwan.
• RICE / TAIWAN / JAPAN VOA 18 Feb 2005 -- Bush administration officials say the United States and Japan share concerns about the security of Taiwan, but that Washington and Tokyo will not be expanding the scope of their mutual security treaty. The comments came on the eve of a Washington meeting of the American and Japanese foreign and defense ministers.
• NOKOR/MISSILES VOA 15 Feb 2005 -- South Korea and Japan continue to develop their responses to North Korea's decision to pull out of nuclear disarmament talks. Seoul wants high-level military talks with Pyongyang, while Japan is taking steps to ensure it is able to defend itself against a possible missile attack.
• DPRK Is Not Frightened by Japan's Disgusting Drama KCNA 12 Feb 2005 -- Minju Joson Friday comes out with a commentary hitting at the outcries of the Japanese reactionaries over the "human rights" issue in the DPRK.
• JAPAN/NOKOR VOA 12 Feb 2005 -- Japanese Prime Minister Junichro Koizumi has resisted calls for formal economic sanctions against North Korea, which says it will boycott further six-party talks on its nuclear weapons program. But a new Japanese law that takes effect next month will effectively cut into North Korea's maritime trade with Japan - a significant source for Pyongyang of both cash and consumer goods
• NORTH KOREA / NEXT STEPS VOA 11 Feb 2005 -- Asian leaders are pondering their next move after North Korea's announcement Thursday it would indefinitely suspend multilateral talks on its nuclear weapons program. The focus remains firmly on peaceful means to resolve the dispute.
• NORTH KOREA NUCLEAR TALKS VOA 10 Feb 2005 -- North Korea says it will not return to multilateral talks on ending its nuclear ambitions and has repeated its earlier assertions that it has already manufactured nuclear weapons. South Korean, Japanese and U.S. officials are pushing Pyongyang to resume talks.
• JAPAN-NOKOR SOCCER VOA 09 Feb 2005 -- Host Japan, with a late goal (in injury time in the second half), defeated a North Korean team, mainly composed of army players, 2-1 in an Asian (Group B) qualifier for soccer's World Cup. Japanese officials took extraordinary security measures inside and around the stadium amid worries that any clashes between rival supporters could trigger an international incident.
• JAPAN NOKOR SOCCER VOA 08 Feb 2005 -- Japan and North Korea will clash on a soccer field outside Tokyo on Wednesday evening. Extraordinary security precautions are being taken to avoid an international incident at the World Cup regional qualifying match.
• Japan Seeks Return Of Islands By Russia RFE/RL 07 Feb 2005 -- Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said today Japan and Russia must resolve a territorial dispute over four islands before the two nations can improve ties.
• Japan's Plot to Scrap DPRK-Japan Pyongyang Declaration Blasted KCNA 03 Feb 2005 -- The Japanese government is now contemplating a tightened "report and information system on remittance to north Korea and taking out money to it" as part of economic sanctions against the DPRK over the "issue of abductees whose fate remains unknown."

January

• KCNA Slams Japanese Reactionaries' Attempt to Internationalize Abduction Issue KCNA 31 Jan 2005 -- The Japanese reactionaries are now getting more undisguised in their moves to internationalize the "abduction issue." Yachi, vice-minister of Foreign Affairs of Japan, at talks with a delegation of U.S. congressmen on Jan.18 asserted that it is necessary for the entire international community to put pressure upon north Korea in order to settle the abduction issue.
• JAPAN / N. KOREA SANCTIONS VOA 27 Jan 2005 -- Japan is giving its clearest signal yet that it might impose economic sanctions against North Korea. The threat comes amid increasingly contentious rhetoric over the failure to resolve the issue of North Korean abductions of Japanese citizens during the Cold War.
• Japan's Demand for "Reinvestigation" Rejected KCNA 19 Jan 2005 -- The DPRK feels no need to have inter-governmental contact with Japan any longer now that the "abduction issue" had been settled with the Japanese prime minister's visit to Pyongyang as an occasion and the DPRK has made all sincere efforts it can.
• Malicious Smear Campaign against DPRK Flailed KCNA 19 Jan 2005 -- Kanzaki, representative of the Komeito Party, a party of the ruling coalition of Japan, in a recent NHK program palavered about the "abduction issue", throwing together the balderdash that "pressure should be put on north Korea" and "stage-by-stage reaction is necessary."
• JAPAN DEFENSE VOA 07 Jan 2005 -- The head of Japan's Defense Agency is about to embark on a six-day trip to several Asian nations to explain the country's beefed-up defense policy. The visit is seen as an attempt to reassure the region Japan has no intention of returning to its militarist past.
• JAPAN-NOKOR VOA 04 Jan 2005 -- Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi is hoping to see progress this year in the on-again, off-again dialogue with North Korea. Mr. Koizumi says he does not believe the communist state really wants to end talks with Japan.