Banning North Korean ships' entry goes against 6-party agreement: JCP Shii

Japanese Communist Party Chair Shii Kazuo expressed opposition to the Liberal Democratic Party bill to allow the government to ban North Korean ships from Japanese ports, saying that such a ban will conflict with the agreement reached by Japan, North Korea, South Korea, China, Russia, and the United States in their talks on North Korea in August last year.

Speaking at a press conference on February 18 Shii stated, "The six-party talks (on North Korea) last August reached a consensus that they will not take actions that would exacerbate the situation. The bill, if enacted, will run counter to this agreement."

"All countries that have an interest in Northeast Asia are represented in the six-party talks. If these talks are productive enough to resolve the issues of abduction and nuclear weapons development, they will pave the way for creating a framework of peace covering the whole of Asia. Nothing is more important now than efforts to be made within this framework. The six countries have a duty to comply with their agreement," Shii added. (end)