Japan Press Weekly

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2017 July 5 - 11 [JCP]

Shii condemns North Korean missile launch

North Korea on the morning of July 4 again launched a ballistic missile which reportedly landed within Japan’s exclusive economic zone in the Sea of Japan. Japanese Communist Party Chair Shii Kazuo on the same day published a statement in protest against North Korea’s repeated missile tests.

The statement states that the missile test constitutes a serious threat to peace and stability in the region and the rest of the world in violation of a series of relevant resolutions of the UN Security Council, the joint statement of the Six-Party Talks, and the Japan-DPRK Pyongyang Declaration. The statement also condemns North Korea for possibly endangering ships and aircraft in the area.

The UNSC on June 2 adopted a resolution “expressing its commitment to a peaceful, diplomatic, and political solution to the situation”, calling on State Parties “to facilitate a peaceful and comprehensive solution through dialogue”.

Shii in the statement agreed for the need to work for a solution through diplomatic dialogue, adding that only by doing this can the North Korean issue be resolved. His statement proposes that countries concerned start diplomatic negotiations with North Korea in parallel with the tightening of economic sanctions against the country so that they can stop North Korea from developing nuclear weapons and missiles and urge this country to abandon these development programs.

At present, the second round of the UN conference is taking place at the UN headquarters in NYC on a nuclear-weapons ban treaty to be adopted on July 7.

Referring to the ongoing international talks, Shii criticized North Korea’s nuclear arms buildup “for directly running counter to this global trend”. He said that the JCP will make every possible effort to help bring about a successful adoption of the treaty in the UN conference in which he himself is taking part (July 5-7).

Past related articles:
> JCP Kokuta condemns North Korea’s missile launch[April 6, 2017]
> Shii issues statement condemning N. Korean missile launches[March 7, 2017]