Japan Press Weekly

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2017 November 8 - 14 [JCP]

Shii comments on S. Korea-US and China-US summit meetings

Japanese Communist Party Chair Shii Kazuo on November 9 said to the press that he hopes for a peaceful settlement of the North Korea crisis through dialogue as proposed separately by leaders of South Korea and China after their meetings with the U.S. president.

Shii pointed out that South Korean President Moon Jae-in after a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump in Seoul said that the two countries agreed to cooperate in solving the North Korean nuclear issue peacefully. The JCP chair also noted that following the China-U.S. summit meeting in Beijing on November 9, Chinese President Xi Jinping said that the two countries made a commitment to seek a solution to the North Korea crisis through dialogue and negotiations.

Shii said, “The only way to resolve the North Korea issue is to adhere to non-military measures along with implementing tighter economic sanctions. The leaders of South Korea and China mentioned the need to pursue this approach, which is very important. I strongly hope that the crisis will be solved in a reasoned manner.”

In contrast, Shii stated, Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzo in the November 6 Japan-U.S. summit meeting in Tokyo denied the importance of dialogue with Pyongyang. Shii pointed out that Abe expressed his support for President Trump’s stance that includes all military options. Shii demanded that Abe change his position.

Concerning Trump, Shii said that while stressing that the U.S. is ready to attack North Korea, the U.S. president touched on a possibility of talks under certain conditions. He quoted Trump as saying, “I really believe that it makes sense for North Korea to come to the table”, at the joint press conference after the South Korea-U.S. summit meeting. Shii said that this remark caught his attention.