Moves toward a thaw in relations between Japan and North Korea have been gaining momentum since a Japanese parliamentary group headed by former Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama and the ruling Workers Party of Korea last week agreed on the need to resume the long-stalled normalization talks at an early date.
The Japanese government is now poised to announce as soon as this week the lifting of remaining sanctions against North Korea and an early resumption of bilateral talks on establishing diplomatic ties between the two nations. Upon receiving a report from the Murayama mission, Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi on Sunday gave instructions along these lines to Foreign Minister Yohei Kono, who had just returned from the World Trade Organization meeting in Seattle.
It is welcome that the governments of the two nations are now prepared to sit down at the negotiating table for the first time in seven years. However, the road ahead looks bumpy. We can only hope that the prospective dialogue will lead eventually to the establishment of diplomatic relations.