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Takeshi Sato
For Takeshi Sato's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 30, 2003
Tokyo hopes Pyongyang, like Libya, eases nuclear posturing
Security issues concerning North Korea, including its nuclear arms program, will remain at the top of Japan's diplomatic agenda in 2004, with Tokyo hoping to see substantial progress following Libya's recent renunciation of weapons of mass destruction.
JAPAN
Nov 24, 1998
Jiang visit may be turning point for Sino-Japanese ties
Staff writer
JAPAN
Nov 9, 1998
Breakthrough unlikely at Obuchi-Yeltsin summit
Staff writer
JAPAN
Nov 1, 1998
Bangladesh questions Japanese aid priorities
Staff writer
JAPAN
Oct 14, 1998
Jamaican leader joins economic chorus
Staff writerJamaican Prime Minister Percival Patterson urged Japan on Monday to make an early economic recovery because its weakness negatively impacts not only Jamaica but the international community as a whole."The problems which have occurred in the Japanese economy extend well beyond Japan itself. They have repercussions on the whole global financial situation, bearing in mind that Japan is a very significant player in the global economy," Paterson said in an interview with The Japan Times. "Therefore, it is not only a matter of interest to Japan but ... of the entire world that there will be full recovery within the shortest possible time," said Patterson, who is here on a visit.Patterson welcomed Japan's measures to stabilize the domestic financial sector, saying the measures are "necessary and appropriate to restore the financial sector to full health."The Diet enacted financial reform laws on Monday to deal with failed and failing banks and is seeking to enact a bank recapitalization bill designed to keep capital-short banks afloat. Patterson said a stagnant Japanese economy has implications for Jamaica because Japan is one of its major trading and economic partners.He said trade of coffee, which is Jamaica's principle export to Japan, has not been much affected by the economic downturn but the number of Japanese tourists to Jamaica has been on the decline. The number of Japanese visiting Jamaica in 1997 dropped by 22 percent from the previous year, and the figure so far for this year has declined by about 20 percent from the same period last year, according to statistics compiled by the Jamaican government.Patterson arrived in Japan on Monday for a four-day official visit and held talks with Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi Tuesday evening. Obuchi and Patterson agreed to further strengthen bilateral exchanges, including those for youths.He said the bilateral relationship between Japan and Jamaica is "quite warm and cordial" and that Jamaica welcomes private-sector investment from Japan, saying that opportunities exist in such sectors as shipping, infrastructure development, coffee processing and light manufacturing.As for reforming the United Nations, he noted that the world today is completely different from that of 1945 when World War II ended, saying there are no longer divisions designating victors and the vanquished but regional powers that influence the course of world events. "We also feel that developing countries have to be given much greater voice and more adequate representation" in the body, he said.Under an existing proposal, the Security Council would be expanded by five, including representatives from the three developing regions of Africa, Latin America and Asia. The three regions, however, are said to have internal problems identifying who should take those spots.
JAPAN
Oct 5, 1998
The Kim Visit: 'Sorry' may not be enough to bridge past
Staff writerWhen South Korean President Kim Dae Jung makes his official visit this week, Japan is expected to apologize and express remorse for its past conduct toward Koreans. But complete reconciliation between the people of the two nations may not be possible until they come to a better mutual understanding of their shared past.A senior Foreign Ministry official said an apology from Japan is necessary to establish a framework for further cooperation between the two countries heading into the 21st century.Kim Suk Kyu, South Korea's ambassador to Japan, said last month that President Kim's visit is a good opportunity to resolve issues that took place during the 20th century, before the start of the next century.President Kim is scheduled to visit Japan from Wednesday to Saturday to hold talks with Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi. It will be his first visit to Japan since he took office in February.In a joint document to be issued at a Thursday meeting between Obuchi and Kim, Japan will express remorse and offer an apology to the Korean people for its 1910-1945 colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula, based on an Aug. 15, 1995 statement by then Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama, Foreign Ministry officials said.Murayama said in the statement, which was issued on the 50th anniversary of the end of World War II, "Japan ... through its colonial rule and aggression, caused tremendous damage and suffering to the people of many countries, particularly to those of Asian nations."The apology this time will be directed at South Korea, because the Murayama statement did not name specific countries, Vice Foreign Minister Shunji Yanai said.The statement, however, is not expected to mention specific conduct by Japan, such as the forced change of Korean names to Japanese names during the colonial rule, and the "comfort women," Korean women who were made to provide sex for wartime Imperial army troops at frontline brothels.Experts say an apology will not completely resolve the historical chasm between the two countries. "Issues of history will not be completely resolved by simply issuing the joint document," Keio University Professor Masao Okonogi said.Bilateral relations suffered strains after Murayama made his statement, when in November of that year then Management and Coordination Agency chief Takami Eto made off-the-record remarks boasting of the benefits of Japan's colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula. Eto reportedly said Japan did some good things, such as building schools, railroads and ports, during its colonial rule.Teruo Komaki, senior researcher at the Institute of Developing Economies, said that if similar remarks continue to be made in Japan, these issues will be raised again and again. "Japan thinks that it has to repeat its apology for its past conduct every time South Korea has a new administration. But South Korea considers Japan's apology insincere as long as there are (negative) remarks in Japan," Komaki said.Ambassador Kim said he is aware of Japan's dissatisfaction with having to repeat its apology to each new leader, but noted South Koreans are skeptical about the sincerity of Tokyo's apologies because of repeated negative remarks by some Japanese politicians. President Kim hopes to hear a sincere, courageous apology from Japan at the turn of the century, the ambassador said, adding that past incidents should not prevent the two countries from expanding future relations.Professor Okonogi said Japan has not captured the Korean people's hearts through its repeated apologies, and it has a tendency to forget how terribly it treated Koreans.Tokyo is expected to offer about $3 billion in loans from the Export-Import Bank of Japan to help South Korean companies cope with foreign currency shortages and to help them obtain import materials and components.
JAPAN
Sep 18, 1998
North Korea launch was aimed at U.S. negotiators, expert claims
Staff writer
JAPAN
Jul 24, 1998
Foreign Ministry pleased with Obuchi's selection
Staff writer
JAPAN
Jun 25, 1998
Election Equation: Debate urged on behalf of the weak
Eighth in a series
JAPAN
Jun 5, 1998
St. Lucia welcomes aid, visitors, Japanese seat on UNSC
Staff writer
JAPAN
May 11, 1998
Territorial row needs thorough focus, Gaidar says
Stafff writer
JAPAN
Apr 14, 1998
Russia turmoil mars Yeltsin treaty quest
First of two parts
JAPAN
Jan 2, 1998
Tokyo, Pyongyang bending to renew ties
Staff writerPositive developments have been emerging between Japan and North Korea in their efforts to resume negotiations aimed at establishing diplomatic ties, but a bumpy road still lies ahead, partly because of the deterioration of the South Korean economy.A resumption of full-scale normalization talks is not expected until spring at the earliest because Japan still suspects that North Korean agents abducted Japanese and because the government needs to watch Seoul's new policies toward Pyongyang under the administration of President-elect Kim Dae Jung."Positive signs have been seen" in the effort to resume normalization talks, Vice Foreign Minister Shunji Yanai said. "We hope to resume the talks as early as possible, although a specific schedule has not yet been set."Bilateral relations have been improving as the two governments prepare for the second and third homecoming visits of Japanese women who live in North Korea, Yanai said. Fifteen Japanese women living in North Korea visited in November for about a week. It was the first such homecoming for women who moved to North Korea with their Korean husbands roughly four decades ago.Delegates of the Red Cross societies of Japan and North Korea agreed in December that a second group will visit Japan in mid-January. Pyongyang has already presented a list of the women to Tokyo. "The two countries are moving toward resuming normalization talks by improving the atmosphere through such measures as the homecoming (of Japanese women) and the resumption of Japan's food aid (to North Korea)," said Teruo Komaki, senior researcher at the Institute of Developing Economies.Japan's decision in October to extend $27 million in fresh food aid to North Korea helped improve the atmosphere surrounding the bilateral relations. Despite such positive moves, Tokyo may not be able to push for prompt full-scale resumption of negotiations on normalizing diplomatic ties as the South Korean economy worsens and as Japan monitors Seoul's relations with Pyongyang under the new administration, which takes power in late February, analysts said.There are still many in Japan opposed to resuming normalization talks until North Korea clears up questions over the alleged abductions. Masayuki Suzuki, an associate professor at Seigakuin University, said the situation surrounding Japan and North Korea is worse than it was in August, when the two countries agreed to restart the long-stalled normalization talks.The Hashimoto administration has become unstable, and economic turmoil in South Korea and other Asian countries has intensified, he said. "For the Japanese government, assisting South Korea and other Asian countries is currently more important," Suzuki said.South Korea agreed with the International Monetary Fund in early December on a record $55 billion rescue loan to rebuild Seoul's battered economy. South Korea is in no position to actively improve relations with North Korea, Komaki said. "Under such circumstances, progress in Japan-North Korea relations may be of concern to South Korea," he said.The negotiations aimed at establishing diplomatic ties started in January 1991 but collapsed in November 1992 after eight rounds of discussions, partly because North Korea was offended by Japan's demand that it provide information on a Japanese woman believed abducted by Pyongyang to provide Japanese-language training to North Korean agents so they can pose as Japanese.North Korea is now apparently willing to improve relations with Washington and Tokyo, and has been taking a tough stance with the South. "North Korea is seeking to rebuild its economy with assistance from Japan, but its relations with Japan will not be improved unless there is improvement in its ties with Washington," Suzuki said.Pyongyang is also seeking to improve ties with Washington and Tokyo because of its disadvantaged position in the international power balance since Seoul normalized ties with Moscow and Beijing as a result of the end of the Cold War, Komaki said.A senior Foreign Ministry official said dialogue between North Korea and South Korea could be promoted through the four-party peace talks by the two Koreas, China and the United States. These historic peace negotiations got under way in December in Geneva to end the tension on the Korean Peninsula, the first time all key participants in the Korean War gathered for formal talks.Although North Korea expressed disappointment over the negotiations, saying they failed to address important issues such as the withdrawal of U.S. troops from South Korea, Pyongyang welcomed their start and agreed to hold a second round in March.The senior ministry official said the atmosphere for promoting Tokyo-Pyongyang negotiations will be further improved if the dialogue between North and South Korea is promoted under the new administration in Seoul. Kim said after the presidential election in December that he is willing to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Il if necessary.
JAPAN
Nov 6, 1997
Tokyo, Pyongyang in wary thaw
The homecoming of Japanese wives living in North Korea is imminent. However, this event alone is not expected to lead to an immediate resumption of negotiations on normalizing bilateral diplomatic ties.
JAPAN
Sep 12, 1997
IAEA chief seeks more from Pyongyang
Staff writer
JAPAN
Sep 12, 1997
Obuchi seeks consensus on North Korea food aid
Staff writer
JAPAN
Sep 3, 1997
Free passage for Korean wives seen as economic issue
Staff writer

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