NAPSNet Daily Report 11 September, 2002

Recommended Citation

"NAPSNet Daily Report 11 September, 2002", NAPSNet Daily Report, September 11, 2002, https://nautilus.org/napsnet/napsnet-daily-report/napsnet-daily-report-11-september-2002/

 
CONTENTS

I. United States

1. PRC “Domestic Terrorism”
2. PRC DPRK Asylum Seekers
3. PRC-US War on Terrorism
4. US-Taiwan Defense Visits
5. PRC on US-Taiwan Relations
6. Japan-DPRK Relations
7. Japan Return of Hijacker Relatives
8. Japan and DPRK Spy Ship
II. Republic of Korea 1. Japan’s View to Railroad Project
2. DPRK-US Relations
3. ROK’s Support for Anti-Terror Campaign
4. Business Forum in Seoul
III. Japan 1. Japan Nuclear Industry Scandal
2. Japan’s Logistic Support for US

I. United States

1. PRC “Domestic Terrorism”

Agence France-Presse (“CHINA A TERRORISM VICTIM TOO, BEIJING INSISTS ON SEPT 11 ANNIVERSARY,” 09/11/02) reported that the PRC’s official press used the anniversary of the September 11 attacks on the US to insist that it too faces a terrorism threat, centered around its Muslim-majority Xinjiang region. The danger is so severe that the PRC has set up a dedicated anti-terrorism bureau under the Ministry of Public Security, the China Daily newspaper quoted a top official as saying. The revelation by Li Baodong, head of the Foreign Ministry’s international department, was “the first time that a Chinese official confirmed the existence of such an organization,” the newspaper said. “China is a victim of terrorism,” Li said, due to the activities of separatists pushing for an independent state of East Turkestan in Xinjiang, the PRC’s westernmost region, which shares a small border with Afghanistan. “Collaborating with al-Qaeda and the Taliban, the East Turkestan forces have created lots of terrorist violence in Xinjiang… and in Central Asian regions, seriously threatening the safety and security of the whole area.”

2. PRC DPRK Asylum Seekers

Reuters (Tamora Vidaillet, “NORTH KOREAN ASYLUM SEEKERS LEAVE FOR SEOUL,” Beijing, 09/11/02) reported that fifteen DPRK asylum seekers who had sought refuge in a German school in Beijing left the PRC early on Wednesday and were on their way to the ROK, a German embassy spokesman said. “They already left Beijing or China. It was this morning,” he stated. “They are heading for South Korea via a third country.” The spokesman refused to say which country they were heading for. There was no immediate word on whether the 21 DPRK defector who had sneaked into Seoul’s consulate in Beijing over the past few weeks and also due to leave on Wednesday, had departed. But another diplomatic source said the 21 defectors at the consulate were set to leave on Wednesday morning. He would not say when. Asked if the two groups would leave Beijing at the same time, he said: “Basically, I was informed like that.”

3. PRC-US War on Terrorism

Agence France-Presse (“CHINA, US PLEDGE AGAIN TO COOPERATE IN WAR AGAINST TERRORISM,” 09/11/02) reported that the PRC and the US pledged again to stand together in the global fight against terrorism at a commemoration here of the first anniversary of the September 11 attacks. “Let us always remember this historical day and allow no repetition of this tragedy,” PRC vice minister of culture Pan Zhenzhou said Wednesday at the opening of a joint Sino-US photo exhibition about the attacks on the US. “The Chinese government has been consistent in condemning all violent acts of terrorism. China is willing to fight against terrorism with all countries of the world.” Pan and US ambassador Clark Randt jointly opened the exhibit, “Images from Ground Zero”, at the Beijing National Library. “Our two great nations’ mutual efforts to combat terrorism augurs well for our future relations,” Randt said. “September 11 demonstrated to America that we have real enemies and that China is not among them.”

4. US-Taiwan Defense Visits

Reuters (Jim Wolf, “TOP TAIWAN DEFENCE OFFICIAL VISITS PENTAGON,” Washington, 09/11/02) reported that Taiwan’s deputy defence minister held talks with U.S. Defence Department officials on Tuesday, becoming the island’s most senior defence official to visit the Pentagon in at least 23 years. Vice Defence Minister Kang Ning-hsiang, in brief remarks, said he had met his US counter part, US Deputy Defence Secretary Paul Wolfowitz. The meeting took place outside the Pentagon. “We were just getting to know each other,” Kang said. Asked if they had discussed weapons sales, Kang said he was “only responsible for policy, not procurement.” But people who attended a dinner in his honor on Monday said Kang’s delegation was discussing, among other things, arms purchases to counter the PRC’s stated threat to the self-governing island of 23 million people. A Pentagon spokesman, Navy Lt Cmdr Jeff Davis, said the sessions were needed to fulfill U.S. responsibilities under the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act, which requires the US to supply Taiwan enough arms to defend itself. Kang is the most senior Taiwanese defence official to visit the US military headquarters since at least 1979, when the US broke off official ties with Taiwan as a condition of establishing diplomatic relations with the PRC. The PRC has branded Kang’s visit “gross interference” in its domestic affairs that could hurt US-Chinese ties. Kang also met Navy Vice Adm James Metzger, a three-star assistant to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Pentagon officials said.

5. PRC on US-Taiwan Relations

Reuters (“CHINA ANNOYED AS TAIWAN GOES TO NEW YORK GROUND ZERO EVENT,” United Nations, 09/11/02) reported that to the PRC’s chagrin, New York City has invited Taiwan delegates to attend a ground zero ceremony on Wednesday along with other United Nations representatives. Ambassador Andrew Hsia, the director-general of the Taipei economic and cultural office in New York, said he would represent Taiwan, which he said lost nine citizens in the September 11 attacks. Presidents, prime ministers, foreign ministers and other dignitaries are in New York for the UN General Assembly session this week. They were invited to a Wednesday evening ceremony at Battery Park where an eternal flame will be lit at a sculpture that once stood in the plaza of World Trade Center. The ceremony will be followed by candlelight vigils.

6. Japan-DPRK Relations

The Associated Press (Malcolm Foster, “KOIZUMI TO URGE NORTH KOREA TO ACT RESPONSIBLY FOR SAKE OF REGIONAL, GLOBAL STABILITY,” New York, 09/10/02) reported that Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said he is eager to normalize relations with the DPRK and will urge the reclusive country to “act as a responsible member” of the international community for the sake of stability on the Korean peninsula, in East Asia and the world. Koizumi conceded Tuesday that several thorny, unresolved issues remain between the two Asian neighbors. Key obstacles from Japan’s side include concerns that the DPRK is developing nuclear weapons and claims that the DPRK abducted at least 11 Japanese citizens in the 1970s and 1980s to help train spies. For its part, the DPRK has repeatedly criticized Japan for not fully atoning for its militarist past and its 1910-45 occupation of the Korean peninsula. “It is a historical responsibility of the government of Japan to resolve these issues and normalize relations with North Korea, and to do so in a manner that contributes to the stability of the region,” Koizumi said in a speech at the Council on Foreign Relations.

7. Japan Return of Hijacker Relatives

Reuters (“RELATIVES OF JAPAN’S FIRST HIJACKERS RETURN FROM NORTH KOREA,” Tokyo, 09/10/02) reported that relatives of the Japan Red Army radicals who allegedly carried out the country’s first airline hijacking returned to Japan from the DPRK on Tuesday, and police immediately took one of the six returnees into custody. Officers arrested Takako Konishi, wife of alleged hijacker Takahiro Konishi, on charges of passport violations, a Tokyo Metropolitan Police spokesman said on condition of anonymity. Among those returning were Konishi’s 22-year-old daughter, the 22-year-old daughter of alleged hijacker Shiro Akagi, and Hiromi Okamoto, the eldest daughter of Takeshi Okamoto, who has died. The sons of faction members Moriaki Wakabayashi and Kimihiro Abe also arrived back in Japan. They had lived in the DPRK with members of the ultra-leftist Red Army Faction wanted for the 1970 hijacking of a Japan Airlines flight. The hijacking signified the beginning of an era to high-profile terrorist acts by Japanese radicals. Of the nine men allegedly involved in the hijacking, three have died in the DPRK, while two others were caught outside of the DPRK and sent to Japanese prisons. In a surprise statement last month, the remaining four announced they wanted to return to Japan – where they face certain arrest – by September.

8. Japan and DPRK Spy Ship

Reuters (Elaine Lies, “JAPAN RAISES SUSPECTED NORTH KOREAN SPY SHIP,” Tokyo, 09/11/02) reported that Japan raised a suspected DPRK spy ship from the depths of the ocean Wednesday and prepared to inspect the vessel, which sank late last year after a firefight with Japanese patrol boats. The diplomatically charged salvage operation in PRC economic waters took place less than a week before Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi heads to Pyongyang for a historic meeting with DPRK leader Kim Jong-il. The sunken ship had come to rest on the seabed 300 feet down and some 310 miles southwest of Kagoshima, the southern tip of Japan’s southernmost main island of Kyushu, just within the PRC’s 200-mile zone of economic waters. TV footage showed the ghostly outline of the ship being hauled to the surface by a salvage crane, then its battered form. Japanese coastguard officials said they had found a small boat inside the 100-tonvessel. The officials said, however, it was not immediately clear why the vessel was carrying the small boat. The 100-tonvessel was set to be secured and towed to Kagoshima for investigations. Investigations during salvage efforts discovered weapons and what could be the remains of some of the 15 crew, all of whom are believed to have died when the ship sank.

II. Republic of Korea

1. Japan’s View to Railroad Project

Joongang Ilbo (“KOIZUMI IS ‘POSITIVE’ ON RAILROAD PROJECTS,” Tokyo, 09/11/02) reported that Russian President Vladimir Putin, has asked Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi for Japanese participation in the Trans-Siberian Railways and Trans-Korea Railroad projects, the Tokyo Shimbun reported Tuesday. The newspaper quoted a Russian official as saying that Putin asked for Japan to join the projects during a telephone call to discuss the upcoming meeting between Koizumi and DPRK leader Kim Jong-il. Koizumi reportedly gave a “positive” response, but it was not clear, the newspaper said, whether that was an expression of interest or a commitment. The Tokyo Shimbun said Russia estimates that US$2.2 billion will be needed to repair outdated railroads in DPRK.

2. DPRK-US Relations

Joongang Ilbo (“PYONGYANG WAITS, IT SAYS, FOR U.S. TALKS,” Seoul, 09/11/02) reported that the DPRK newspaper Rodong Shinmun said it was waiting for the US to make the next move in their troubled courtship. “The ball is already in the US court,” the newspaper said. The newspaper continued its attacks on John Bolton, a senior State Department official, this time criticizing his remarks about the DPRK’s alleged refusal to open its nuclear program to international inspections. The paper said, “If the United States raises concerns about our security measures, that is entirely because the US administration is hostile to North Korea.” “If US is willing to give up its anti-North Korean policy, we are open to discussions that may settle security concerns of the United States,” it continued.

3. ROK’s Support for Anti-Terror Campaign

The Koreaherald (“PRESIDENT KIM PROMISES BUSH IN ANTI-TERROR WAR,” Seoul, 09/11/02) reported that as US observes the first anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks, President Kim Dae-jung sent a message Tuesday to US President George W. Bush, pledging ROK’s continued support for the US-led campaign against terrorism. He expressed sorrow over the victims of the tragic incident and extended condolences to their bereaved families as well as the people of US. Kim praised the “tireless efforts” of US to eradicate terrorism and Bush’s “outstanding leadership,” which he said has successfully steered the international coalition against terrorism for the past year.

4. Business Forum in Seoul

The Koreaherald (“ASIA-EUROPE BUSINESS FORUM TO OPEN IN SEOUL,” Seoul, 09/11/02) reported that the 8th Asia-Europe Business Forum (AEBF), a meeting for top business managers in Asia and Europe, will open in Seoul in September of next year, the Federation of Korean Industries (FKI) said Tuesday. The forum, to be attended by some 250 businessmen, will be the setting for in-depth discussions on intra-region trade and investment and strategies for expanding international cooperation in financial service and information technology sectors. Doosan Group’s head Park Yong-oh will head the forum as the chairman, while CEOs of global giants like Phillips, Siemens and Mercedes Benz are said to have confirmed their participation in the Seoul event. “Key topics on the table will probably include Korea’s successful recovery from the financial crisis, recent changes in the Korean corporate culture and problems that Asian neighbors like the PRC and Northeast Asian countries have in investing in Korea,” a FKI official said. The seventh AEBF will explore cooperation expansion opportunities in eight business areas: trade, investment, financial service, information technology infrastructure, infrastructure, life science and medical equipment, food and environment.

III. Japan

1. Japan Nuclear Industry Scandal

Kyodo (“CITY PASSES RESOLUTION AGAINST NUKE PLAN,” Niigata, 09/07/02) reported that the municipal assembly of Kashiwazaki in Niigata Prefecture, the site of the world’s largest nuclear plant, passed a resolution Friday asking Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) and the central government to terminate pluthermal nuclear energy generation plans. The resolution also requests withdrawal of an earlier approval of the project by the governments of Niigata Prefecture, the city of Kashiwazaki and its neighboring village of Kariwa. “It has become impossible to approve (the plan) as trust toward TEPCO and the government regarding the safety of nuclear energy has been swept away,” the resolution says, referring to the recent scandals involving TEPCO’s alleged cover-up of damage at its nuclear reactors. “I think the resolution is very correct. I would like to ascertain individual opinions through a general inquiry,” said Kashiwazaki Mayor Masazumi Saikawa. “I will soon discuss (the matter) with the governor of Niigata and the leader of Kariwa.” TEPCO, which operates the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant, originally planned to start using mixed oxide (MOX) fuel at the No. 3 reactor of the plant last year, but has not yet done so due to opposition from local residents and prefectural authorities.

2. Japan’s Logistic Support for US

Kyodo (“U.S. HOPING FOR JAPAN TO EXTEND WAR SUPPORT,” Washington, 09/08/02) reported that the US government hopes that Japan will continue to transport fuel and supply US forces in the Middle East in the event of an attack on Iraq, US government officials said Friday. Washington hopes Japan’s support framework will be maintained at its present level, according to the officials. Maritime Self-Defense Force vessels (MSDF) have been providing oil for the US-led military efforts in Afghanistan. During a visit to Japan last month, US Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage is said to have told Defense Agency chief Gen Nakatani he was not assuming there would be new types of military support from Japan. Armitage had avoided directly mentioning the fuel issue in talks with Nakatani and others in Tokyo because he wanted to avoid criticism that the US was pressuring Japan.

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Produced by the Nautilus Institute for Security and Sustainable Development in partnership with:

Ilmin Internationl Relations Institute
BK21 The Education and Research Corps for East Asian Studies
Department of Political Science, Korea University, Seoul, Republic of Korea

Center for American Studies,
Fudan University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China

International Peace Research Institute (PRIME),
Meiji Gakuin University, Tokyo, Japan

Monash Asia Institute,
Monash University, Clayton, Australia

Brandon Yu: napsnet@nautilus.org
Berkeley, California, United States

Timothy L. Savage: napsnet@nautilus.org
Berkeley, California, United States

Kim Young-soo: yskim328@hotmail.com
Seoul, Republic of Korea

Hibiki Yamaguchi: hibikiy84@hotmail.com
Tokyo, Japan

Saiko Iwata: saiko@akira.ne.jp
Tokyo, Japan

Hiroya Takagi: hiroya_takagi@hotmail.com
Tokyo, Japan

Peter Razvin: icipu@online.ru
Moscow, Russian Federation

Wu Chunsi: cswu@fudan.ac.cn
Shanghai, People’s Republic of China

Dingli Shen: dlshen@fudan.ac.cn
Shanghai, People’s Republic of China

John McKay: John.McKay@adm.monash.edu.au
Clayton, Australia

 


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