Japan Press Weekly

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2018 March 21 - 27 [JCP]

Shii talks with S. Korean Ambassador on Korean Peninsula situation

Japanese Communist Party Chair Shii Kazuo on March 22 met with South Korean Ambassador to Japan Lee Su Hoon at the South Korean Embassy in Tokyo and discussed issues concerning the Korean Peninsula.

At the beginning of the meeting, Shii expressed his congratulations for the success of the PyeongChang Olympic Winter Games, saying, “I am privileged to have attended the opening ceremony of the historic Olympics which successfully ended as a festival of peace.” The ambassador thanked Shii for his kind words.

Shii said that he welcomes the recent moves toward holding North-South Korea and U.S.-North Korea summit meetings. He explained the JCP view on the North Korea issue and the party’s efforts to gain more support for diplomatic measures.

Lee talked about the Moon administration’s policies and diplomatic efforts that seek to address the Korean Peninsula problem at its root. He noted that in order to achieve Moon’s goal, cooperation of not only countries directly concerned but also neighboring nations is essential.

Shii said that in future negotiations, it will be important to take a comprehensive and integrated approach to various pending issues, including denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and the establishment of peace and security in the region. Concerning the relationship between Japan and North Korea, Shii stated that based on the 2002 Japan-DPRK Pyongyang Declaration, Japan should simultaneously address the issue of North Korea’s nuclear and missile development program, abduction issues, and historical problems, and search for ways to normalize diplomatic relations between the two nations.

Shii touched on the JCP proposal to work on an initiative to establish peace and cooperation in Northeast Asia. He noted that the 1998 Japan-Republic of Korea partnership declaration, the first-ever official document decided on by the two countries which mentions remorse over Japan’s colonial rule, is important for a healthy development of bilateral relations.

Ambassador Lee said that the Moon administration has a plan for a security cooperation platform for Northeast Asia and that his government will work to have this plan bear fruit.

The meeting was joined by JCP Vice Chair Ogata Yasuo, JCP member of the House of Representatives Kasai Akira, and minister at the South Korean Embassy in Tokyo Lee Hee-sup.

Past related articles:
> Japan should work for success of US-N. Korea summit [March 10, 2018]
> JCP welcomes the agreement to hold a summit meeting between the North and the South [March 8, 2018]