I have a feeling that the US wouldn't like it one bit. The US didn't like a secret visit by Abe's advisor Isao Iijima to Pyongyang, which apparently was news to the US.
After having been treated shabbily by President Obama on his trip to the US in April (or so Abe thinks) and his administration labeled "ultra-nationalists" who could harm the US interests in East Asia in the US Congressional report, Abe must have figured he has nothing further to lose in the eyes of his beloved US.
Abe blew it on his visit to the US, ditto on his visit to Russia, where Prime Minister Vladimir Putin got (or feigned) angry over the question by the Japanese press corp about the Kurile Islands and he refused to give Abe an assurance for selling natural gas to Japan.
Abe needs a friend, and Kim Jong-Un could be the one, I suppose.
Nikkei Shinbun (5/23/2013; part):
首相に北朝鮮訪問観測 元駐日韓国大使発言で
Speculation that Prime Minister Abe may visit North Korea, following the remarks of former South Korean ambassador to Japan
政府や与野党内で安倍晋三首相が北朝鮮を電撃訪問するのではないか、との観測が出ている。きっかけは23日付の韓国紙、朝鮮日報のインタビューで、権哲賢（クォン・チョルヒョン）元駐日韓国大使が「安倍首相が早ければ今月末から６月初めの間に訪朝する可能性が高い」と語ったことだ。
There is a speculation inside the administration and the political parties that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe may pay a surprise visit to North Korea. The speculation started with the interview of Kwon Chul-hyun, former South Korean ambassador to Japan, which appeared on the Chosun Ilbo, a South Korean newspaper, on May 23. Ambassador Kwon said, "It is highly likely that Prime Minister Abe will visit North Korea, between the end of May and beginning of June at the earliest."
訪朝した飯島勲内閣官房参与は同日、記者団に「（日朝政府間の）交渉再開など色々評論されているが、私からみると事実上、事務的協議は全部終わった。あとは首相と菅義偉官房長官の判断だ」と指摘。菅長官は権元大使の発言に関して「事柄の性質上発言すべきでない。極めて大事なことだ」と述べるにとどめた。
Isao Iijima, Special Advisor to the Cabinet who just returned from North Korea said to the press on May 23, "There are various comments about resumption of negotiations (between the Japanese government and the North Korean government), but as far as I know, in fact, working level negotiations have been complete. It now all depends on the decision by Prime Minister and Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga." Mr. Suga didn't elaborate on the remark by former Ambassador Kwon, and only said, "I shouldn't comment, due to the nature of the issue. It is extremely important."
So, does that mean it is a done deal? Does Abe want to be like Kakuei Tanaka, who made a surprise visit to Communist China in 1972 and established a formal diplomatic relationship between China and Japan? Or does he just want to emulate Junichiro Koizumi, who visited North Korea to win the release of 5 abductees?
If Abe and his advisors think today's North Korea under the North Korean version of Boy-wonder dictator, shunned by every nation except China, is equivalent to Communist China in the 1970s, and the normalization of relationship will be hailed as a great diplomatic coup and success, they are literally insane.
As Zero Hedge's Tyler says about Abe and Kuroda:
We give up: raging schizophrenia and a sado-maso fetish is now a core prerequisite for anyone who wishes to follow the daily lies these central planning sociopaths spew with impunity.
30-Day free trial by following the link.
Tokyo Time
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10 comments:
Zerohedge quote at the end nailed it all... what a fucking mess man.
He is going to try and negotiate for slaves to send into Fukushima Daiichi to do manual labor. You can bet on that.
Political posturing. Whatever Abe asked for from the US, he hasn't gotten yet, so they strike up relations with N. Korea - which is a no-no for the US, because US gov wants its people to think N. Korea is full of commie barbarians.
I'll give it 70% Oblama caves to the pressure and gives in to Abe's demands.
20% chance it's ignored and 10% chance it backfires on him.
This is starting to show a bit of desperation, so you know where it's going. Eventually Japan will have no choice but to go public on the fact that they have no resources to contain the radiation and all their other nuke plants are at risk of meltdown too.
Then US will have no choice but to send cash - or take over - which will not work. That's the ultimate lose-lose.
The US-China relationship could be improved by letting China take care of Japan, if and when it needs to be done.
A quick trip to the disputed islands, by either side, start a political something or other, and the US could just let it happen, making up an excuse.
Everything is made in China/Korea, not Japan.
Not a good outcome, but a possibility
Why the hell would Abe develop a secret alliance with NK? It's probably just some ridiculous show of 'national sovereignty' and 'independence' that will amount to nothing.
If Abe could take home some abductees it would be great for him in the upcoming elections. Unless the Nikkei eats up enough Japanese savings before july.
I wonder what Abe can give NK in exchange... peaches? anti-seismic reactors? half used nuclear fuel? galapagos cell phones?
Beppe
Oooh I didn't think of that, Beppe. Rice, peaches, apple, pears, fish, beef. Everything NK needs... Galapagos cell phones? Mr. Kim uses iPad, but for the masses that may do.
I am tired and start dreaming:
Shizo and Kim agree upon cooperation ("Un-Abe-Pact") against USA imperialism.
Park, encouraged by Shizo, soon joins the meeting.
All three recognize that they are of the same honorable warrior race, the Eastern Mongolian one. Korean and Japanese are same origin, just different tribes.
Instead of continuing the foreign-instigated quabbling, they decide to cooperate.
North Korea offers its vast undeveloped lands, its _IAEA-unpestered nuclear labs, its nuclear test sites, and in general, its independence.
Japan offers its superior research and high-tech high-quality production capabilities.
South Korea in turn could throw in its abilities which are similar to the Japanese, but were hindered in economical and scientific development more because of US puppet dictature.
Together all they could form a free, strong independent block of people (countries) which share the (Eastern) Mongolian race, located between China, Russia and the USA, without any kizuna relationship.
I dreamt of a country, of people of the same race, but inevitably in many dialects (Korean, Japanese, Mongolian) reaching from the former Mongolia to the Kuriles, with its capital in Pyeongyang.
I somehow like that dream.
Beautiful dream, Atomfritz, but I'm afraid none of the inhabitants in one country think they are the same race with others in other two countries.
I believe Abe will indeed go to North Korea, and he will go before the July elections, but there is a wider agenda behind his motivation.
Japanese companies would love to have another option other than China in offshoring more of the country's manufacturing capacity. Japanese manufacturers must be positively green with envy over their South Korean competitors' new manufacturing forays into North Korea. Kaesong hasn't proved to be the economic utopia the Koreas had envisioned, but that won't stop Abe.
He intends to get a slice of that. At first, it won't be popular with the Japanese public but once Abe is able to dispense with the 2/3 majority rule under article 96 of the Japanese constitution, he will be able to rewrite the constitution into whatever image he has of his "New Japan". Essentially, dictatorial power.
What this will mean is anybody's guess, but to be certain, it will be a radical departure from anything we've seen out of Japan in the past 70 years.
Hedge accordingly, and pray that another toilet comes along to stop the madness of Shinzo Abe.
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