Japan Press Weekly

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2010 June 30 - July 6 [WORLD]

Shii on the sinking of a South Korean patrol boat

The South Korean Joint Civilian-Military Investigation Group on May 20 released a report on the sinking of a South Korean Navy patrol boat in March. The report, showing several pieces of evidence, concludes that the patrol boat “was sunk as the result of an external underwater explosion caused by a torpedo made in North Korea.” The Japanese Communist Party condemns the attack as an unforgivable and outrageous military action.

The report says, “[T]he torpedo was fired by a North Korean submarine. There is no other plausible explanation.” North Korea said the report is based on a “fabrication” and denied its involvement in the incident, but it also said that it would send its own investigation team to the South to check the evidence. If North Korea denies involvement, it should offer facts of counterevidence to disprove the evidence which South Korea produced.

The JCP requests that South Korea, North Korea and other countries concerned to never lead to an escalation and vicious cycle of military tension but to work to settle politically and diplomatically this issue which has a serious bearing on peace in northeast Asia.
- Akahata, May 22, 2010

JCP Kasai attends North Korean residents’ association annual meeting

Japanese Communist Party International Commission Vice Chair Kasai Akira (House of Representatives member) on May 22 participated in the annual convention of the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan (Chongryun) as a guest speaker.

Kasai spoke about the JCP stance urging the government to apply the tuition-free program to Korean students and about the JCP activities in New York in regard to the NPT Review Conference. Kasai pointed out that a resumption of the Six-Party Talks on North Korea’s nuclear weapons program will contribute to achieving “a world without nuclear weapons.”

As for the sinking of the South Korean Navy ship, Kasai said that this issue should be addressed in a diplomatic and political manner. Kasai also emphasized that a closure on the abduction issue is an unavoidable task for the Japanese and the North Korean governments.

Noting that this year marks the 100th anniversary of Japan’s annexation of Korea, Kasai said that sharing a common understanding of their mutual history will establish a real friendship between Japan and North Korea, and hoped that a normalization of diplomatic ties between the two governments will be achieved by resolving all pending issues in the spirit of the “Japan-Pyongyang Declaration.”

Representatives of other political parties, including the ruling block, also took part in the convention.
- Akahata, May 23, 2010