Prime Minister Koizumi will visit Pyongyang on May 22 and meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Il. The meeting will focus on the return of the families of the five Japanese civilians who were abducted by North Korean spies and returned to Japan one and half years ago.

Mr. Koizumi's real intent for the trip, however, seems to be to shift the nation's attention to foreign policy since his domestic policies, particularly his government reform plans, have stalled.

Although the five Japanese civilians were returned to Japan, their families are still in North Korea. They have been having a difficult time living in Japan separated from their families.

The government is looking for political gain from Mr. Koizumi's visit to North Korea.

The Weekly Post interviewed Kaoru Hasuike, one of the five Japanese civilians returned to Japan.


1. Japanese News Media as Messengers

The Weekly Post (TWP): You five Japanese civilians have been seeking to meet directly with Prime Minister Koizumi. What would you like to discuss with him?

Hasuike: We want the nation to understand properly why we are so serious about the return of our families to Japan. We want to discuss this with Prime Minister Koizumi openly and more seriously.

Instead of high-ranking officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs such as Misoji Yabunaka, Chief of the Asia and Oceania Bureau, or Hitoshi Tanaka, Councilor, Prime Minister Koizumi is the person who can get our families back to Japan. Mr. Koizumi is the one who can visit North Korea for negotiations.

Some say that since Prime Minister Koizumi visited North Korea one and half years ago, it is be Kim Jong Il's turn to visit Japan. However, Kim Jong Il will never understand such reciprocity.

TWP: There is a suggestion that the abducted Japanese should visit North Korea to take their families back to Japan.

Hasuike: We don't want to do that because the North Koreans will take advantage of us. One and half years ago when the five of us were returned to Japan, the North Korean government told us that another eight Japanese captives had already died. It was hard for us to believe. Even if our children are returned, we will not consider the abduction issue over.

TWP: The three Japanese news media interviewed the North Korean special ambassador who has been negotiating with the Japanese government. The ambassador said that North Korea would not return your children to Japan unconditionally.

Hasuike: It is hard for North Korea to soften its attitude. The Japanese news media have been taken advantage of by the North Korean government to inform what the North Koreans want to say. Why don't they understand this?

TWP: Why do you think the North Koreans want to take advantage of the Japanese news media?

Hasuike: They seem to convey what they want to say to the Japanese government through the Japanese news media. When Japanese reporters are invited by the North Korean government, they have to ask them why they are invited to North Korea. Without asking that question, the Japanese reporters visit North Korea with cameras and tape recorders. Such act is only to bring messages from the North Koreans to Japan.

2. Japanese News Media

TWP: There is information that the North Korean government will have the Japanese news media interview your children left in North Korea. Will you let them do this?

Hasuike: Previously, two families were interviewed and received severe criticism. We will not let them do it. The news media must have a conscience. If they do it, it will be a step backward.

TWP: Why will it be a step backward?

Hasuike: If our children are interviewed and appear on TV, there will be huge rising voice to prompt the North Korean government to return them. However, if we expose our children to the public, there will emerge another serious problem we experienced. The abduction issue will not be resolved even if our children come home.

TWP: Reports on you by the news media are very emotional, aren't they:

Hasuike: Yes, they are. They are reporting on us like our diary. We hope that they report more substantial elements. In April, reporters questioned me at a press conference, however they did not report the important part of what I had to say. They reported mostly the trivial and emotional portion of my talk.

One reporter asked me about the hostages in Iraq, which I had nothing to do with.

I hope that the Japanese government will do its best to resolve the issue.

********************

Politicians should stop competing with one another for fame or to play power games. It will only help dictator Kim Jong Il. The government should take what Mr. Hasuike asserted seriously and take important steps to resolve the abduction issue with North Korea.

http://www.weeklypost.com/040517/040517b.htm#one

I say koizumi should promise to give the north korea large amounts of food and aid if they return the surviving hostages. Then the moment north korea has returned them. Japan should then end all food and aid it is sending there. Japan should never help those people after we get the japanese civilians back. Well...if they are ever returned.

I still say Koizumi and Jong Il smoke weed from a hooka, watch midget porn, and play a game of monopoly and then part ways.



But seriously, Koizumi should sneak a dan-guhm(short dagger) under his sleeves and go the South Korean way of assasinating by placing a Japanese flag over Jong Il's chest and stab his heart through the flag. Jong Il's last words will be, "arrrrgghhhh!"

That would make a cool statement.

No. He should talk kim into coming into japan and then hold him hostage in terrible conditions until he returns the japanese hostages.

Japanese are so focused on a few so called "victims" when they have commited the worst crimes against the korean people and untold rapes and genocide.

So 50 year old horrific acts justifies what the koreans are doing to us now? I think not. Come up with a better one than that. I cant stand north korean supporters like yourself.

why do u want to starve and kill north korean people so badly? what do u have against them?? its the government that r doing these things

Good question. To be honest with you all I want is the hostages back and north korea to disarm the nuclear weapons. I have no real desire to see them all dead or anything like that. If they do both of those things I would no longer be concerned with north korea. Kim can do what ever he pleases. However if kim returned every hostage and still is building nukes. Japan should not help those people in anyway. Why send them aid? So japan can take the slack that they leave and the government has more room to build weapons that could possibly be used against the japanese people? I dont think that japan should fund a rogue nation. Especially one that makes threats about attacking japan with nukes and fires missle over the country.

So, by Ogumo's misguided logic, we should all wait 40 more years and we can say the kidnappings are a thing of the past and should be forgotten.

The kidnappings can't be justified for the war time acts committed by Japan, but the guy has a point in ahem, pointing out the fact some Japanese have their panties up in a twist about a couple of kidnappings while they say Koreans should let bygones be bygones for their war-time adventures during WW2.

I don't know about you, but that's like, I don't know... a major friggin' contradiction.

By the way, I think comrade Jong Il up there exaggerated by saying Japanese were committing genocide. What they wanted to do was completely erase Korean culture and any trace of evidence that their culture and social foundations were built and filtered through from Korea. In no way do I think the Japanese were trying to commit genocide. Let's just say they were most likely harboring some animosities on the fact it was Koreans who civilized the island aboriginies that were the Japanese Jomon and Ainu.

So, having said that, Ogumo... bro... relax, smoke a spliff, and enjoy the rest of the day.

My logic is hardly misguided. My point is that events that happened more than 50 years ago do justify what the north koreans are doing TODAY. I also never suggested any to "forget" anything. You attempt to put words in my mouth. Though I do agree with what you said to a extent. This incident should not be a priority 50 years from now unless the north koreans are still kidnapping and killing innocent japanese civilians.



He has no point. He just gave a fact irrelevant to the discussion at hand.



I personally dont think the koreans should just let it go. But you have to look at it this way. That happened more than 50 years ago. It is not happening now. So it should not be a priority. Now in 50 years when other things are happening in the world. This should not be a priority for japanese people either. Unless it is still happening.



Kim jong il exaggerates almost everything to make japan of today look like the bad guy and to take attention off of his evil deeds in that country. It is a tactic he has used dozens of times.



That will be enough of that... If you want to talk about what you just said open another thread. I dont want a thread about the japanese hostages going off topic.

Is he planning to brainwash those japanese hostages, or is he gonna keep them as a hostages untill they die or untill they get paid.

He was trying to use them for his spy network. I think he's just holding on to them to try and get a hand out from japan. Most likely these japanese will die in north korea.

This really kim jong il?.

I presume you're an old ultra right wing conservative reactionary nationalist japanese who hangs on to evil fantasies of wiping us out?

What happened with the japanese citizens were a part of war and it was vital to take japanese citizens in order to avoid future US-Japanese aggression.

Accept defeat and and give up the ancient dreams of hegemony and imperialism then and only then can peace reign.
I expect an apology for your offensive remarks and justification of aggression for your contrymen's crimes and this will not have to be a pointless arguement.

I would never appologize to a north korean supporter. Especially one that tries to demonize me personallyIf anything it is you that should appologize for your "ultra right wing nationalist" comments. I have no desire to "wipe" anyone out. I also have no desire for imperialism. Infact I am strongly against imperialism.

The only way peace can reign is with the disarming of north korea. There can be no peace before that.