Last Friday, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un marked 10 years in power. Recent observers have focused on nuclear weapons and diplomacy with South Korea and the United States, but there are under-discussed considerations related to Japan-North Korea ties.
On the surface, it may seem that not much has changed. Compare 2011 to 2021 — North Korea still presents a security threat to Japan, there has been no progress on the abduction issue, and there have been zero summit-level meetings with Kim Jong Un. So, that means status quo, right?
Not at all. We have seen a widening of the gap between Japan and North Korea since Kim Jong Un took power and a hardening of policy stances on both sides.