NAPSNet Daily Report
 
tuesday, april 9, 2002
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CONTENTS

I. United States

II. Republic of Korea III. Japan
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I. United States


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1. PRC-US Relations

Reuters (Andrea Shalal-Esa, "US VOWS TO DO WHAT IT TAKES TO AID TAIWAN DEFENCE," Washington, 04/09/02) and Reuters (John Ruwitch, "CHINA SLAMS US VOW TO DEFEND TAIWAN," Beijing, 04/09/02) reported that the PRC said on Tuesday that the US was rudely meddling in the PRC's internal affairs when US Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz said that the US would do "whatever it takes" to help Taiwan defend itself. "The comments of the senior US defence official seriously violated the clear-cut promises laid out in the three joint communiquÃ(c)s and moreover rudely interfered in China's internal political affairs," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue told a news conference. US Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz made the comment in a closed-door speech last month that was made public on Monday, reiterating a pledge made by US President George W. Bush in the early days of his presidency. Pentagon spokesman Lieutenant Commander Jeff Davis responded, "There is nothing in Wolfowitz remarks that's inconsistent with our policy," Davis said. "They have nothing to be upset about." He said Wolfowitz clearly stated that the US did not support Taiwan independence, but also would not tolerate any use of force by the PRC.


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2. DPRK Relations

The Associated Press ("JAPAN, SKOREA, US WELCOME RECENT MOVES BY PYONGYANG," 04/09/02) and Reuters (Teruaki Ueno,"US, ASIAN ALLIES HOPE FOR DIALOGUE WITH NORTH KOREA," Tokyo, 04/09/02) reported that senior officials from the US, Japan and the ROK met in Tokyo days after DPRK leader Kim Jong-il signaled his intention to resume dialogue with the US and revive moves aimed at inter-Korean rapprochement. In a statement issued after the meeting, the three allied countries "welcomed recent developments with regard to dialogue with North Korea and reconfirmed the importance of engaging North Korea in the international community through dialogue." "In particular, they welcomed and expressed support for the outcome of the ROK's (South Korea's) special envoy's visit to North Korea, through which agreements were reached on resuming dialogue and cooperation between the two Koreas."


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3. ROK-US Relations

Reuters ("US envoy in South Korea after trip to North," Seoul, 04/09/02) reported that former US envoy to the ROK Donald Gregg arrived in Seoul on Tuesday after an informal visit to the DPRK which he said might help pave the way for new talks between the US and the DPRK. ROK officials said Gregg would discuss the trip with ROK Foreign Minister Choi Sung- hong on Wednesday. In a related development, Deputy Foreign Minister Lee Tae-sik was quoted as saying US special envoy on Korean affairs Jack Pritchard would visit Seoul on Thursday. Pritchard will hold talks with ROK officials on a forthcoming trip to Pyongyang, Yonhap news agency quoted Lee as saying. US embassy officials declined to say whether Pritchard would visit either city, but a Seoul official said he was due in the ROK capital on Wednesday.


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4. PRC-Japan Nuclear Relations

Reuters ("CHINA OBJECTS TO JAPANESE POLITICIAN'S NUCLEAR REMARKS," Beijing, 04/09/02) reported that the PRC has condemned a speech by Japan's opposition Liberal Party leader, Ichiro Ozawa, that claimed Japan could easily produce nuclear weapons and surpass the PRC's military might, state media said on Tuesday. Ozawa's remarks, made at a seminar on Saturday, were irresponsible and "contradicted hopes for peace and long-term friendship between the two countries and peoples", the People's Daily quoted Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue as saying. "Ozawa's words were provocative, representing an outdated Cold War mentality just as the two countries were celebrating the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations," she said. His remarks "ran opposite to the wishes of both Chinese and Japanese peoples," she added. Ozawa's speech came during a visit to Japan by the PRC's parliament chief Li Peng and only days before Japanese Prime Minster Junichiro Koizumi visits the PRC. Ozawa said his statements were meant to encourage stronger ties between the PRC and Japan.


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5. Japan Security Legislation

Reuters ("JAPANESE PACIFISTS APPEAL AGAINST CRISIS LEGISLATION," Tokyo, 04/09/02) reported that a group of pacifist writers, academics and performers have launched an appeal against planned legislation they say will turn Japan into a militarist nation, Kyodo news agency said on Tuesday. The proposed change in the law "will turn Japan into a warlike nation from the peaceful one stipulated by Article Nine in our constitution, and we need to shatter the government's aim to realize it," Kyodo News reported the group as saying. The government says what it calls "crisis legislation" is aimed at enabling Japan to defend itself in the event of an attack, a possibility that has gained credence with voters since the September attacks on the US. The new legislation stipulates the setting up of a government task force in the event of an attack on Japan which would have authority over government ministries and local government bodies. The proposals also set out punishments for individuals who fail to comply with the state's instructions to set aside supplies needed by Japan's military in the event of an attack. The crisis legislation, in the form of a package of four bills, is due to be submitted to parliament later this month. But the group of around 250 people, including Japan's well-known satirical writer Hisashi Inoue, involved in Tuesday's appeal says the legislation risks allowing a return to the militarism of the years leading up to and during World War II. "Culture and freedom were stolen from us for many years during the last war. We will not allow a return to those days," Kyodo reported photographer Akira Tanno as saying.


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6. Japanese History Textbooks

Reuters ("NEW JAPANESE TEXTBOOK STIRS UP CONTROVERSY OVER WAR," Tokyo, 04/09/02) reported that a Japanese citizens' group criticized the government's decision on Tuesday to approve a new high school history textbook written by nationalist historians, saying it glosses over Japan's wartime aggression. "The textbook tries to embellish Japan's war of aggression...and could lead Japan to diplomatic isolation," Yoshifumi Tawara, secretary general of the Children and Textbooks Japan Network 21, told a news conference. Japan's Education Ministry approved a draft of the textbook, which is to be used in Japanese high schools in the school year that starts next April, a ministry official said. The book was one of 387 high school textbooks covering various subjects that were approved by the ministry on Tuesday. The move comes a year after Japan sparked a diplomatic furor by approving a junior high school history textbook that was criticized by the ROK, the PRC, and other Asian nations for attempting to justify Japan's invasion of much of Asia in the first half of the 20th century. Tawara said the new history textbook, an older version of which is already being used in schools, was similar to the one that fuelled debate at home and abroad last year.


II. Republic of Korea


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1. DPRK-Russia Rail Road

Joongang Ilbo (Oh Day-young, "NORTH RAIL SYSTEM CALLED DANGEROUS," Tokyo, 04/09/02) reported that railroads in DPRK are old and decrepit, and an overall repair project for tunnels and rail bridges is urgent, the Japanese daily Tokyo Shimbun said Monday. The newspaper said a research institute run by the Russian Ministry of Rail Transport together with DPRK authorities conducted a safety survey on the 700 kilometers of railroads along the east coast of DRPK. The two-month survey was part of efforts to link the Russian Trans-Siberia Railroad to the DPRK. Quoting the survey, the Japanese newspaper said the east coast rail line between the Duman River at the northeastern tip of the peninsula and the cities of Wonsan and Pyeonggang, is a safety risk. "Repair work on 130 tunnels and 742 bridges is a pressing need," the report said. In some tunnels, bricks fell off when touched, and trains must slow to below 10 kilometers per hour for safety. The Russian survey team estimated that the needed repairs will cost at least US$2.2 billion.


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2. ROK-US Talks

The Korea herald (Kim Ji-ho, "SEOUL, WASHINGTON DISCUSS IN TOKYO U.S. ENVOY'S PLAN TO VISIT N. KOREA," Seoul, 04/09/02) reported that Senior officials from ROK and the US met in Tokyo Monday to discuss the proposed visit to the DPRK by Jack Pritchard, US's point man on negotiations with the DPRK, officials in ROK said. The Tokyo meeting took place on the sidelines of a Trilateral Coordination and Oversight Group (TCOG) session. On returning from his four-day trip last weekend, Envoy Lim Dong-won said DPRK leader Kim Jong-il promised to allow Pritchard to travel to the DPRK. Diplomatic watchers speculate that Pritchard would meet DPRK Vice Foreign Minister Kim Gye-gwan in May either in Pyongyang or a third country. Some expect the meeting to be further delayed, citing a hectic DPRK schedule between now and June, including the Arirang Festival and a series of inter-Korean exchange programs.


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3. ROK-Japan Relations

The Korea Herald (Kwak Young-sup, "KOREA, JAPAN SIGN EXTRADITION TREATY, AGREE TO IMPLEMENT BEFORE WORLD CUP," Seoul, 04/09/02) reported that ROK and Japan signed an extradition treaty Monday and agreed to put it into effect before the 2002 World Cup finals starts May 31, Justice Ministry officials said. Signed by Justice Minister Song Jeong-ho and visiting Japanese Justice Minister Mayumi Moriyama, the pact requires ratification by their respective legislatures. Under the treaty, the two neighboring countries will be required to hand over each other's nationals involved in crimes carrying a jail term of one year or more. Japan is the second country that ROK has signed an extradition pact with next to US. At their talks, Minister Song and his Japanese counterpart agreed to give nationals of the two countries entry visa clearance between May 12 and June 30 in order to help them travel freely between ROK and Japan during the world soccer tournament, he said.


III. Japan


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1. Japan-PRC Relations

The Asahi Shinbun (Masato Tainaka,"CHINA TO DISCUSS 'SPY SHIP',"04/05/02) reported that Japan's prime minister Junichiro Koizumi and Li Peng, the visiting chairman of the Standing Committee of the PRC's National People's Congress, agreed on Thursday to open dialogue over the sinking last December of a mysterious armed ship fleeing Japanese authorities. "The suspicious ship issue has been a matter of concern for Japan," Foreign Ministry sources quoted Koizumi as telling Li during a 30-minute meeting at the Prime Minister's Official Residence. Li responded, "How about we agree that the issue should be resolved through dialogue among the relevant diplomatic sections, seeking a way that satisfies both sides?" Koizumi agreed to the proposal. Li, during his ongoing eight-day visit to Japan, told Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi on Wednesday that he "understands" Japanese concerns.


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2. Japan's Red Army in Zagreb

The Asahi Shinbun (Toru Igarashi" RED ARMYS HOUSE FOUND," Zagreb, 04/08/02) reported that two houses in a wealthy area of Zagreb in the former Yugoslavia are believed to have been used by former Red Army faction members as bases from which to lure Japanese to the DPRK, sources said. Japanese police are investigating whether the houses were used by the hijackers of a Japan Airlines passenger jet in 1970 to concoct a plan to entice Keiko Arimoto, then 23, to the DPRK. According to courtroom testimony given by Yao in a case involving the wife of another Red Army faction member indicted for passport and other violations, Yodo group leader Tamiya, who died in 1995, instructed her in May 1985 to entice Japanese nationals into going to North Korea. Yao went to London and approached Arimoto, telling her she knew of a good job opportunity. Yao returned to Zagreb after arranging to meet Arimoto again. She then consulted with DPRK Vice Consul Kim Yu Chol, based in Zagreb at the time, and with Yodo member Kimihiro Abe, 54, on how to deal with Arimoto.


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3. Japan-ROK Relations

The Japan Times ("JAPAN, SOUTH KOREA SIGN EXTRADITION PACT AHEAD OF WORLD CUP," Seoul, 04/09/02) reported that Japan and the ROK signed a criminal extradition treaty on Monday that they plan to enforce ahead of the World Cup soccer finals. Japan's Justice Minister Mayumi Moriyama and her ROK counterpart, Song Jeong Ho signed the treaty at the Justice Ministry in Seoul. Moriyama said after the signing ceremony that the treaty will contribute to the World Cup's success, adding that the high- profile event could be targeted by terrorists. Song said the pact will help to facilitate exchanges between the ROK and Japan's justice officials and prosecutors. Political crimes are not included in the treaty.



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International Peace Research Institute (PRIME),
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Kim Young-soo: yskim328@hotmail.com
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Hibiki Yamaguchi: hibikiy84@hotmail.com
Tokyo, Japan

Saiko Iwata: saiko@akira.ne.jp
Tokyo, Japan

Hiroya Takagi: hiroya_takagi@hotmail.com
Tokyo, Japan

Peter Razvin: icipu@glas.apc.org
Moscow, Russian Federation

Wu Chunsi: cswu@fudan.ac.cn
Shanghai, People's Republic of China

Dingli Shen: dlshen@fudan.ac.cn
Shanghai, People's Republic of China

John McKay: John.McKay@adm.monash.edu.au< /a>
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