Almost seven years have passed since Japanese Prime Minister Koizumi visited North Korea in September 2002 to meet with top North Korean leadership, including Kim Jong Il. The visit was expected to help normalize relations between the two countries which had been frozen since the creation of North Korea after the defeat of Japan by the Allied Forces in WWII. However, the efforts failed to achieve any concrete results, leaving the two countries stuck in a Cold War power struggle paradigm.

There are many possible reasons for the current stagnation. Popular Japanese explanation blames the insincere and untrustworthy North Korean regime which did not respond to Japanese overtures resulting in failed negotiations. However the Japanese policy approach might be equally to blame for this sad state of affairs. Japanese academics and news media have made little effort to objectively study and understand the possibility that something might be fundamentally wrong in their own approach.

Currently many issues plague Japanese-North Korean relations; among them are North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs, human rights abuses, postwar compensation to comfort women, and the abduction of Japanese citizens by North Korean agents in the 1970’s and 1980s. Even though all these issues are of equal importance, the abductions have taken prominence. Japan has refused to move further on any other issue until and unless the abduction issue is resolved satisfactorily. This could prove dangerous and hurt long term Japanese economic and strategic interests in the region.

Today the issue of abduction is a political football in Japan’s domestic arena. From politicians to academicians to news media, everyone is trying to score by intercepting it and then promoting their own interests. No one is challenging the establishment’s view point nor are they taking an objective, strategic perspective on policy towards North Korea. It appears that narrow minded anger and emotionally charged reactions are guiding Japan’s policy toward North Korea for the time being. However this could hurt Japan’s long term strategic interests and complicate an already difficult situation in the region. These games must end if Japan is to rise above narrow mindsets and create an objective view on policy towards North Korea.

North Korea poses a very serious threat to the security and economic well being of the whole East Asian region. Recently North Korea launched long range missiles, yet claims it was merely attempting to put a satellite into orbit. It insists that they are walking away from six-party talks permanently and resuming its nuclear program. The situation has become complicated and volatile, exasperated by South Korea’s decision to join the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) and North Korea’s threat to take it as a declaration of war.

Japan has much at stake in the peace and stability in the region. An armed clash on the Korean peninsula would make Japan the biggest regional loser because of the size of its economy and its strategic interests in the region. With the kind of military capabilities North Korea is currently boasting, Japan cannot expect to avoid direct threat. Thus it becomes imperative for Japan to make all possible efforts to guarantee that armed conflict does not manifest.

Now that the relationship between North and South Korea has reached an all-time low since the beginning of the Sunshine Policy of 2000, all the gains of the last eight Sunshine years having been lost. Japan must take on responsibility and ensure the prevailing tension in the region does not reach the point of no return while maintaining peace in the region.

It is imperative that Japan adopts a long-term strategic perspective and does not allow any one issue to hijack its whole East Asian policy, regardless of importance. Resolving the abduction issue to the full satisfaction of the Japanese citizens is critical, yet it should not be allowed to take precedence over all economic, security and strategic issues. Japan must broaden its approach towards North Korea and not let this single issue come in the way of settling of others. If Japan fails to follow a policy based on core strategic principals, but rather aroused, raw emotions, it may hurt its national interests.

Today there is a great need for the abduction issue to be separated from the other strategic and economic issues. Japan must dedicate its efforts on resuming nuclear negotiations under six-party talks and become an active participant. It has yet to play any significant role in the multilateral process because of its insistence on resolving the abduction issue first. This must end.

Earlier Japan’s inflexibility forced its close allies, the USA and South Korea, to remove North Korea from the list of terrorism sponsoring countries without Japan’s consent. This cannot happen again. Japan must coordinate its policy with the USA and other allies in the region, and remain flexible. In these difficult times unity is needed to take on North Korea. Japan has special responsibility to make sure this unity is not weakened by its own inflexible approach towards North Korea.

Note: The article was first published in Korea times on April 28th. It can be reached at http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/opinon/2009/04/137_43893.html