Japan and North Korea talks on cold war era abductions

An empty chair, the one of Kim Jong-Un. (L) So Tae Ha, chairman of North Korea's special investigation committee and (R) Junichi Ihara director general of the Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau of Gaimusho. Ihara leads a Japanese government mission dispatched to North Korea for the first time since November 2004, writes Image China.

Japan and North Korea have mainly attracted the attention of authorities and Japanese media this week as a delegation left for Pyongyang at the invitation of the North Korean regime to obtain information about the investigation on the fate of Japanese kidnapped during the Cold War. The delegation of about a dozen people had to spend four days in the North Korean capital, the first time in ten years. These discussions restarted directly between Japan and North Korea concerning the "kidnapped" Japanese held captive by Pyongyang which is a very serious scar in Japan. The history of the Japanese hostages is emblematic of the climate that prevailed in the years of confrontation USA USSR. Still in vogue in Pyongyang. A high Japanese LDP politician, a close one, has spoken to me in Tokyo, he told me that around 400 people, were kidnapped (Megumi Yokota) others naively journeying to North Korea in the 1970s, 1980s. They were and are never allowed to return to Japan. History sometimes unknown outside of Asia while UN debates on violations of human rights have systematic place right now on the issue of detention camps in North Korea. After years of denials, the North Korean government finally confirmed a decade ago that it kidnapped over a dozen Japanese nationals during the 1970's and 80's. While North Korea repatriated a handful of those kidnapped, and claims the rest have died, Japanese authorities suspect there may still be more Japanese nationals being held in the DPRK. Talks reactivated earlier this year after North Korea announced an investigation in exchange for Japan lifting some of its sanctions.


Français

Le Japon et la Corée du Nord ont attiré majoritairement l’attention des autorités et medias japonais cette semaine car une délégation japonaise est partie pour Pyongyang à l'invitation du régime nord-coréen pour obtenir des informations sur l'enquête concernant le sort des Japonais kidnappés en pleine Guerre Froide. Cette délégation d'une dizaine de personnes devait passer quatre jours dans la capitale nord-coréenne, une première depuis dix ans. Ces discussions relancées directement entre le Japon et la Corée du nord sur le sort des “kidnappées” japonais retenus prisonniers par Pyongyang sont une affaire très sérieuse au Japon. L’histoire de ces otages japonais est emblématique du climat qui prévalait dans les années de confrontation USA URSS. Toujours en vogue à Pyongyang. Un très haut responsable politique japonais du PLD, un proche, me parlait à Tokyo de 400 personnes, certaines kidnappées (Megumi Yokota) d’autres naïvement partis en Corée du Nord dans les années 1970, 1980 interdits de rentrer au Japon. Histoire parfois méconnue hors d’Asie alors que des débats des Nations Unies sur les violations des droits de l'homme systématiques ont lieu en ce moment même dans des camps de détention en Corée du Nord.