LONDON -- Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi will pay an official visit to North Korea this week, where he will meet with dictator Kim Jong Il. He wants to deal with a number of issues between Japan and North Korea, including Pyongyang's abduction of Japanese nationals. No doubt Koizumi would also like to find out whether it is feasible to establish full diplomatic relations between the two countries. Both he and Kim will be conscious of the fact that North Korea is one of three countries named by U.S. President George W. Bush earlier this year as belonging to the "axis of evil."
Koizumi is going to North Korea with the blessing of the United States and South Korea. It is doubtful whether the U.S. is optimistic that any real good can come from the visit, but as North Korea is not its top-priority target, it probably sees no harm arising even if the visit enhances Kim's international stature.
Is it possible that Koizumi can persuade Kim that it is to his advantage to open up his regime and at the very least provide his people with food? Common sense suggests the answer is yes, but why should Kim respond favorably to overtures from Japan when it has failed to respond to friendly approaches from South Korea?