NAPSNet Daily Report Monday, December 20, 2004

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NAPSNet Daily Report Monday, December 20, 2004

NAPSNet Daily Report Monday, December 20, 2004

I. United States

II. Japan

III. Fellowship Opportunities

Preceding NAPSNet Report

I. United States

1. US on DPRK Nuclear Talks

Kyodo News (“BUSH VOWS TO PRESS N. KOREA THROUGH 6-WAY TALKS”, 2004-12-20) reported that US President George W. Bush on Monday reiterated his commitment to continue the six-party dialogue process to press the DPRK to abandon its nuclear arms program, stressing that bilateral talks with Pyongyang “did not work.” “I stand on the continuing the six-party talks with North Korea to convince Kim Jong Il to give up his weapons systems,” Bush said.

(return to top) Itar-Tass (“WASHINGTON COUNTS ON PEACEFUL SOLUTION TO N KOREAN NUKE ISSUE”, 2004-12-20) reported that the US continues to hope for a peaceful solution to the DPRK nuclear issue in the frame of the six-party talks, Commander of the US Forces in the ROK General Leon LaPorte said to ITAR-TASS. “We will continue hoping for a diplomatic solution to the challenges which North Korea poses to the world community,” the general said in response to a question about prospects for the easing of tension around the DPRK nuclear issue. (return to top)

2. Japan on DPRK Nuclear Talks

The Associated Press (“JAPAN TELLS NORTH KOREA TIME IS SHORT”, 2004-12-20) reported that Japan’s foreign minister has warned the DPRK that it is running out of time to halt its nuclear weapons programs and risks having the international community impose economic sanctions on it. The foreign minister, Nobutaka Machimura, said during a talk show Sunday on Japan’s public broadcaster NHK that the DPRK should stop stalling in its participation in six-nation talks on its nuclear programs.

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3. ROK on DPRK Nuclear Talks

Korea Times (“S. KOREA MAY APPOINT NUCLEAR AMBASSADOR”, 2004-12-20) reported that the ROK is contemplating appointing a special ambassador on the DPRK nuclear issue in a move to add diplomatic oomph to restarting the stalled six-party talks, an official in Seoul said Sunday. “The government is considering installing an ambassador in order to tackle the nuclear issue in a more effective and concentrated way,” he said on condition of anonymity.

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4. Japan on PRC Role in DPRK Nuclear Talks

Agence France Presse (“JAPAN FM CALLS FOR MORE CHINESE INTERVENTION ON NKOREA”, 2004-12-20) reported that Japan’s Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura has urged the PRC to work harder to help end the DPRK nuclear problem, noting the DPRK had shown no sign of returning to multilateral talks. “It is important that China… tackle this issue seriously and exert a greater influence, though I believe they have made efforts in the past,” he said.

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5. ROK on PRC Role in DPRK Nuclear Talks

Korea Times (“ENVOY TO DELIVER PRESIDENT ROH’S LETTER TO CHINESE LEADER”, 2004-12-20) reported that Unification Minister Chung Dong-young will deliver a letter from President Roh Moo-hyun to PRC leader Hu Jintao, calling for the PRC’s continued efforts to find a peaceful solution to the lingering impasse over DPRK’s nuclear weapons program, Chong Wa Dae spokesman Kim Jong-min said Monday. Minister Chung leaves for Beijing on Tuesday for a four-day visit.

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6. US on DPRK Regime Transformation

Reuters (“REPORT: U.S. NOT AIMING TO TOPPLE N.KOREAN REGIME”, 2004-12-20) reported that the US has decided to aim for a gradual transformation in the DPRK rather than seek to topple DPRK leader Kim Jong-il, a Japanese newspaper said on Saturday. “Assistant Secretary of State (James) Kelly clearly denied … that the Bush administration was seeking to topple Kim Jong-il’s regime, and revealed that their stance was to appeal for regime transformation and urge it to gradually open up to the outside,” the Asahi Shimbun newspaper said.

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7. DPRK on Regime Transformation

Joongang Ilbo (“NORTH REACTS STRONGLY TO U.S. COMMENTS”, 2004-12-20) reported that reacting to a top Washington official’s remark that the US is seeking regime transformation in Pyeongyang, the DPRK Foreign Ministry said yesterday, “To change the system our people have chosen is a violent infringement on our people’s political rights and their freedom of choice.” The ministry statement continued, “As long as Washington’s policy is to exploit human rights issues of other countries, to interfere with those countries’ internal affairs and overturn their systems, our only choice is to protect human rights and to fight physically against the United States.”

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8. US on DPRK Nuclear Program

Asia Pulse (“US TO DEPLOY NEW MISSILES IN S.KOREA TO DESTROY WMD IN N.KOREA”, 2004-12-20) reported that the US will deploy missiles to the ROK in 2005 with the aim of destroying underground facilities for weapons of mass destruction (WMD) in the DPRK, a US think tank said. “The Bush administration plans to deploy a new set of missiles to South Korea next year that are designed to destroy the underground installations where the North Koreans are storing their WMDs,” the Center for American Progress (CAP) said in a report carried on its Web site.

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9. DPRK on Nuclear Issue

The Associated Press (“N. KOREA WARNS OF ‘DETERRENT FORCE’ BOOST”, 2004-12-20) reported that the DPRK, which insists it needs a nuclear deterrent against a US invasion, threatened Monday to strengthen its “deterrent force” if the US pursues policies the DPRK deems hostile. “If the United States more desperately pursues its hostile policy to isolate and stifle (North Korea) under the pretext of the ‘nuclear issue’ and ‘human rights issue’ … the latter will react to it by further increasing its self-defensive deterrent force,” an unnamed spokesman for the DPRK’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement carried by the official Korean Central News Agency.

(return to top) Chosun Ilbo (“YONGBYON REACTOR IN FULL SWING: N.K. DIPLOMAT”, 2004-12-20) reported that a DPRK diplomat recently disclosed that the 5-megawatt reactor in Yongbyon is now fully operational. Son Mun-san, the DPRK’s counselor for relations with the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), made the claim Thursday in a phone interview with Japan’s Sekai Nippo. “We recently had unofficial contacts with the US in New York, but unfortunately, we learned that there were no changes at all in the Bush administration’s hostile policies,” he said. If his claims that the reactor in Yongbyon is in full swing are true, the DPRK must have completely replaced the 8,000 fuel rods in the reactor following its 2003 announcement that it had finished reprocessing all the spent fuel rods from its Yongbyon nuclear facility. (return to top)

10. US on DPRK Missile Program

Reuters (“N.KOREA COULD TEST LONG-RANGE MISSILE ANY TIME – U.S.”, 2004-12-17) reported that the DPRK could flight test at any time a ballistic missile potentially capable of reaching parts of the US with a nuclear-weapon-sized payload, the State Department’s top arms control official said on Friday. Making the case for President Bush’s drive to build a missile shield days after a failed test of the system, Stephen Rademaker, assistant secretary of state for arms control, said the DPRK was pushing plans to develop its ocean-leaping, multiple-stage Taepo Dong 2 missile.

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11. DPRK on US Espionage

Yonhap (“N. KOREA ACCUSES U.S. OF CONDUCTING 2,100 SPY FLIGHTS THIS YEAR”, 2004-12-20) reported that the DPRK claimed Sunday that the US conducted 2,100 cases of aerial espionage against the DPRK this year. “The US imperialists committed at least 2,100 cases of aerial espionage against the DPRK for the last 11 months of the year by mobilizing strategic and tactical reconnaissance planes with different missions,” the DPRK’s official news agency, KCNA, said.

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12. USFK Anthrax Shots

Chosun Ilbo (“U.S. WANTS TROOPS IN KOREA TO HAVE ANTHRAX SHOTS: NYT”, 2004-12-20) reported that the New York Times (NYT) reported Sunday that the US Defense Department, pointing to the high risk of exposure to anthrax in the ROK and the Middle East, is pushing to make vaccinations accessible for its soldiers. In particular, the deputy defense secretary stressed the need for continuous vaccinations for troops stationed in the Middle East and ROK, citing a secret intelligence report from last month as grounds.

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13. ROK-US Relations on DPRK Nuclear Issue

Yonhap (“SEOUL DOES NOT SEE BUSH’S SECOND TERM NEGATIVELY: SENIOR OFFICIAL”, 2004-12-20) reported that the ROK does not have a negative view of the second-term administration of US President George W. Bush, which is considered by many as more hawkish than that of the first term, a senior aide to President Roh Moo-hyun said Monday. Appearing on a radio program, Moon Jung-in, chairman of the presidential Northeast Asia Era Committee, said, “It is not true that we only see the second Bush administration negatively (as far as the North Korean nuclear issue is concerned).”

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14. ROK, Japan on DPRK Nuclear Talks, Sanctions

Ibusuki (“S.KOREA, JAPAN URGE NORTH TO RESUME NUCLEAR TALKS”, 2004-12-20) reported that leaders of Japan and the ROK jointly urged the DPRK on Friday to return to talks aimed at ending its nuclear weapons program and agreed imposing economic sanctions now on Pyongyang would thwart such efforts. In their meeting in southern Japan, ROK President Roh Moo-hyun said he backed Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi’s cautious stance on sanctions.

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15. DPRK on Japanese Abductees

Asahi Shimbun (“IT PLANS ITS OWN TESTS NORTH ASKS FOR RETURN OF REMAINS”, 2004-12-20) reported that the DPRK has hurled another curveball at Japan by demanding the return of human remains that DNA tests in this country proved not to be of abductee Megumi Yokota, as claimed by Pyongyang. Officials said they are considering handing over copies of the testing to the DPRK, adding that they did not understand the DPRK’s intentions.

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16. Japan on Abductees

Donga Ilbo (“JAPAN TO RETURN FAKE REMAINS TO NORTH KOREA”, 2004-12-20) reported that the Japanese government is looking into returning the remains of Megumi Yokota, a Japanese abducted by the DPRK, on December 24. Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiroyuki Hosoda stated during a press interview on December 20, “We will announce the government’s official stance on the issue after analyzing the materials sent by North Korea,” adding that the return of the remains is on the agenda.

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17. Japan on DPRK Human Rights

Donga Ilbo (“JAPAN TO ENACT NORTH KOREAN HUMAN RIGHTS LAW”, 2004-12-20) reported that the Nihon Keizai Shinbun reported on December 19 that the Japanese ruling Liberal Democratic Party, or LDP, started to prepare for formulating a North Korean Human Rights Law. The Liberal Democratic Party’s decision to throw its weight behind the enactment of the law, following the opposition Democratic Party, is interpreted as Japan’s intention to put more pressure on the DPRK, a move that might signal a new bone of contention between Japan and the DPRK.

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18. Defector on DPRK Stability

Korea Times (“HWANG JANG-YOP WARNS OF HASTY JUMP ON PYONGYANG’S INSTABILITY”, 2004-12-20) reported that Hwang Jang-yop, the highest-ranked Pyongyang official to defect to the ROK, advised media not to jump to hasty conclusions over recent developments in DPRK such as Kim Jong-il’s portraits being pulled down from public places in Pyongyang, the Radio Free Asia (RFA) reported Monday. “It’s illogical to say that his regime is locked in a crisis, forcing Kim to remove his portraits,” Hwang said. “Those who speak of such things are only expressing their ignorance regarding Kim Jong-il.”

(return to top) Chosun Ilbo (” SENIOR N.K. DEFECTOR SAYS ‘DEAR LEADER’ IS IN FULL CONTROL”, 2004-12-20) reported that Hwang Jang-yeop, former secretary of the DPRK Workers’ Party and the highest-ranked defector to gain admittance to the ROK, said recent reports of a political crisis in the DPRK regime were groundless. According to an interview with online radio broadcaster Free NK on Nov. 19, Hwang said that Kim was showing to the world his confidence in his ability to control the DPRK without requiring such cultish formalities as public portraits. (return to top)

19. Assassination Attempt on DPRK Leadership

Reuters (“AUSTRIA DENIES PLOT TO KILL KIM’S SON”, 2004-12-20) reported that Austrian security forces foiled an attempt to assassinate a son of DPRK leader Kim Jong-il during a European trip in November, Yonhap News reported on Sunday, but Austrian authorities denied any incident. Citing a source familiar with North Korean affairs, the ROK news agency said the failed plot had been planned by DPRK citizens favoring other of Kim Jong-il’s sons as his eventual successor.

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20. ROK on DPRK Defectors

Chosun Ilbo (“SEOUL MULLS DIRECTIVES TO STYMIE ‘POLITICAL’ DEFECTIONS”, 2004-12-20) reported that it was confirmed Monday that the government is devising plans to plug the drain of defectors fleeing the DPRK, including placing a travel ban on so-called “defection brokers” who are paid to help the asylum-seekers complete their passage to the ROK. The Unification Ministry said in material on DPRK policy that was distributed to participants in a unification advisory council meeting Monday morning that the government was devising measures to remove vital links in the chain facilitating planned defections.

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21. ROK on Abducted Pastor

Yonhap (“CHINA CONFIRMS ABDUCTION OF EX-DEFECTOR BY N. KOREA”, 2004-12-20) reported that the PRC Foreign Ministry has confirmed the alleged abduction of a former DPRK defector by DPRK agents, a local activist group claimed Monday. The confirmation came more than four months after the former defector, Jin Kyung-sook, was allegedly taken by a group of DPRK security officials from the PRC side of the border with the DPRK in August.

(return to top) Joongang Ilbo (“LAWMAKER SAYS PASTOR DIED AFTER KIDNAPPING”, 2004-12-20) reported that a Grand National lawmaker who has a background in intelligence said yesterday he believes an activist pastor who was kidnapped in the PRC and taken to the DPRK died there. Quoting an anonymous government official, Representative Chung Hyung-gun of the Grand National Party told his fellow lawmakers yesterday that Protestant minister Kim Dong-shik, who was kidnapped and taken to the DPRK in 2000 while helping DPRK refugees, died in the DPRK. (return to top)

22. Inter – Korean Trade

Asia Pulse (“N. KOREAN EXPORTS OF SAND TO SOUTH INCREASE SHARPLY THIS YEAR”, 2004-12-20) reported that the amount of sand imported from the DPRK has jumped lately to help ease a shortage in construction materials, government officials said Monday. According to the Ministry of Unification, 212,000 cubic meters of sand have been imported from the DPRK so far this year.

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23. DPRK AIDS Issue

Yonhap (“N. KOREA SENDS HOME 27 FOREIGNERS WHO TESTED POSITIVE TO HIV”, 2004-12-20) reported that the DPRK has sent home 27 foreigners who tested positive to the HIV virus. Han Kyong-ho, director of the Central Hygienic and Anti-Epizootic Center, an arm of the Ministry of Public Health, said in an interview with the Pyonyang Times that the country has tested more than 400,000 people for AIDS since 1989.

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24. Australian Aid for Ryongchon Blast

The Australian (“HOPE EMERGES IN RUINS OF N KOREA BLAST TOWN (MATP)”, 2004-12-20) reported that Ryongchon was flattened and at least 160 people died, half of them children at a school near the station, but the story soon faded from the international press. Nine months later, the survivors are slowly putting their lives back together. The Australian Government supported the global DPRK Train Explosion Appeal with $250,000, funds that have been vital in ensuring continuing support and assistance to rebuild the lives of those affected by the explosion.

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25. ROK Rice Protest

Joongang Ilbo (“FARM PROTEST PARALYZES THE CITY”, 2004-12-20) reported that angered at government action to allow more rice imports into the ROK, farmers blocked five major bridges over the Han River in Seoul yesterday, causing havoc on the roads. The authorities said by blockading bridges over the Han River, 1,000 farmers in 50 trucks were able essentially to paralyze a broad swath of the capital for more than an hour.

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26. Russian Yukos Issue

Los Angeles Times (“SMALL RUSSIAN FIRM WINS YUKOS AUCTION”, 2004-12-20) reported that a company so small it didn’t appear to have an office bid successfully Sunday to buy the second-biggest oil production facility in Russia for $9.3 billion, deepening the intrigue around the fate of Yukos Oil Co. Analysts speculated that Baikalfinansgroup might be a hastily formed front company for Russia’s state-controlled Gazprom natural gas company, which a US court prohibited last week from bidding on the unit, or a facade for a wealthy private oil company such as Surgutneftegaz, which is known to have close ties to the Kremlin.

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27. Sino – Japanese Relations

Reuters (“JAPAN TO GIVE TAIWAN’S LEE VISA DESPITE CHINA’S FURY”, 2004-12-20) reported that Japan said Monday it would issue a visa as scheduled for former Taiwan president Lee Teng-hui to visit for sightseeing despite angry protests from the PRC. Relations between Tokyo and Beijing have already been chilled by a string of disputes, including one over Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi’s regular visits to Tokyo’s Yasukuni Shrine, where war criminals are honored with other Japanese war dead.

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28. Sino – US Nuclear Cooperation

Reuters (“U.S.: CHINA TO LEAD WAY IN NUCLEAR ENERGY”, 2004-12-20) reported that outgoing US Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham said on Friday the PRC would emerge a leader in nuclear energy and called for further cooperation between the two countries in developing alternative sources of power. But he made no mention of Washington’s decision on the first-ever sale of powerful US-made nuclear reactors to the PRC.

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29. Sino – Latin American Relations

Chicago Tribune (“BEIJING BOLSTERS ECONOMIC TIES WITH EAGER LATIN AMERICA”, 2004-12-20) reported that in his first visit to Cuba, PRC President Hu Jintao lent strong political support to this besieged nation but also came bearing gifts, including $500 million for a new nickel plant and $15 million for education, health and other areas. Experts say the PRC investments could undercut the Bush administration’s efforts to isolate Cuba and symbolize the PRC’s growing influence throughout Latin America, a region long known as America’s back yard but increasingly ignored by US policymakers. Overall, Hu signed investment deals worth more than $30billion during his 12-day swing last month through a region eager to diversify its ties away from the US and kick-start its nations’ struggling economies with fresh capital.

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30. EU on PRC Arms Ban

Agence France Presse (“EU LEADERS HINT AT JUNE DATE FOR LIFTING CHINA ARMS BAN”, 2004-12-20) reported that European Union leaders declared their “political will” to lift an arms embargo on the PRC, possibly by next June, while stressing that Beijing must respect human rights and regional stability. The leaders said after summit talks that they were “looking forward to further progress in all areas” of the 25-nation bloc’s relationship with the PRC, in particular for Beijing to sign a UN accord on civil and political rights.

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31. US on Israeli Arms Sales to the PRC

Agence France Presse (“US RAISES CONCERNS OVER CHINA ARMS SALES WITH ISRAEL: PENTAGON”, 2004-12-20) reported that the US has raised concerns about arms sales to the PRC with Israel but has not demanded the resignation of any Israeli official over reported transfers of sensitive weapons or technology to Beijing, a Pentagon spokesman said. The spokesman would not comment specifically on a report by an Israeli television channel that the US was angered because Israel took back a sensitive weapon system for upgrading that it had sold to the PRC in the mid 1990s.

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32. Cross Strait Relations

Reuters (“TAIWAN SAYS CHINA FORMING LEGAL BASIS TO ATTACK”, 2004-12-20) reported that Taiwan condemned the PRC’s plan to draft an anti-secession law, describing it Saturday as a move to establish a legal basis to attack the self-ruling, democratic island that Beijing claims as a province. Vice President Annette Lu said the proposed law would have no bearing on Taiwan because the PRC has no legal or historical rights to the island of 23 million people.

(return to top) Washington Post (“CHINA PLANNING TO ENACT LAW AGAINST SECESSION”, 2004-12-17) reported that the PRC announced Friday it intends to enact a law against secession from the country, a move that analysts said could legally bind the Communist Party leadership to follow through on its long-standing threat to attack Taiwan if the island formally declares independence. The government plans to submit a draft of the law for deliberation during a five-day session of its top lawmaking body beginning Dec. 25, the official New China News Agency reported. The agency did not provide details of the proposed law, nor did it say when the legislation would be adopted. (return to top) The New York Times (“CHINA’S ARMY MAY RESPOND IF TAIWAN FULLY SECEDES”, 2004-12-20) reported that the Communist Party-controlled legislature has indicated that it is preparing to enact a law against secession, possibly mandating military action if Taiwan were to declare independence. A draft law forbidding secession by any part of the PRC, announced Friday by the New China News Agency, suggests that President Hu Jintao is seeking to eliminate any lingering doubts that the PRC military would attack Taiwan if the island formally severed ties with the mainland. (return to top)

33. US on Cross Strait Relations

Los Angeles Times (“REPORT: U.S. WILL POST MILITARY OFFICER IN TAIPEI”, 2004-12-20) reported that the US will post an army officer at its de facto embassy in Taiwan for the first time in 25 years, reversing a long-standing policy of using civilian defense contractors, Jane’s Defense Weekly said. The move, which the defense journal said was tentatively scheduled for mid-2005, would probably upset the PRC, as it would signal closer military ties between the US and the island, which Beijing claims as a renegade province.

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34. Macau on Cross Strait Relations

The Associated Press (“CHINA’S HU PRAISES MACAU ON ANNIVERSARY”, 2004-12-20) reported that the PRC’s leader celebrated the fifth anniversary of PRC rule over Macau on Monday, praising the former Portuguese colony for its success under the PRC’s “one country, two systems” policy that integrated the capitalist territory into the PRC. The remarks were seen as directed toward leaders in both nearby Hong Kong, another former colony under mainland rule, and Taiwan, which remains independent and fearful of a PRC takeover.

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35. PRC on Hong Kong Leadership

The New York Times (“RARE PUBLIC REBUKE FOR HONG KONG LEADER FROM BEIJING CHIEF”, 2004-12-20) reported that President Hu Jintao of the PRC publicly urged Hong Kong’s leader today to improve his management of the semi-autonomous PRC territory, a comment widely seen as a rebuke. Turning and standing about two yards in front of Mr. Tung, President Hu started by saying that he believed Hong Kong was “moving in the right direction.” But the president went on to warn Mr. Tung that he should “sum up experiences, find out the inadequacies, sharpen administrative abilities and continue to raise the quality of governance.”

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36. PRC Judicial Reform

The Associated Press (“REPORT: CHINA TO START HOLDING JURY TRIALS”, 2004-12-20) reported that the PRC will start holding jury trials next year as part of court reforms that also will increase the number of judges, state media reported Monday. The measures were announced by the PRC’s highest court after a meeting last week on how to best prepare the courts to handle cases stemming from the country’s sweeping economic changes, the official Xinhua News Agency said. Jurors are to be elected to five-year terms and must have at least two years of university education, the Xinhua report and other state media said.

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37. PRC Corruption Crackdown

Washington Post (“HUNDREDS ARE REPROVED BY CHINA FOR CORRUPTION”, 2004-12-20) reported that PRC authorities have arrested or reprimanded more than 750 officials in recent months in connection with billions of dollars in financial irregularities, including unpaid taxes and embezzlement, according to a report made public Thursday. The crackdown grew out of a broadening government campaign to audit county, city, provincial and ministerial officials to counteract what the senior leadership acknowledges as rampant corruption.

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38. PRC Jounralist Arrest

The Associated Press (“CHINESE JOURNALIST DETAINED BY POLICE”, 2004-12-20) reported that a PRC journalist and advocate for poor farmers has been detained for unspecified alleged criminal offenses, police and his supporters said Monday. The action against Li Boguang follows the detention of several other writers as PRC authorities, jittery amid public anger at official abuses, are intensifying a crackdown on the media.

(return to top) The New York Times (“CHINA DETAINS A HUMAN RIGHTS ADVOCATE”, 2004-12-20) reported that the PRC police have detained a leading human rights advocate who represented farmers in lawsuits against the government, expanding a crackdown on writers, intellectuals, lawyers and journalists who challenge the Communist Party authorities. The advocate, Li Boguang, was detained by the police while visiting Fujian Province last Tuesday, his family said. The reasons for his detention are unclear. (return to top)

II. Japan

39. Japan Military Contingency Plan

The Asahi Shimbun (“MILITARY CRISIS OUTLINE PRESSES LOCAL OFFICIALS”, 2004-12-15) reported that the Japanese government on Tuesday released an outline of its basic policy on protecting civilians during an armed attack against Japan. But local governments have already expressed doubts and confusion about the crucial roles they will play in leading the public to safety.

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40. Japan – US Military Cooperation

The Japan Times (“TOKYO, WASHINGTON SIGN MISSILE-TECH EXCHANGE AGREEMENT”, 2004-12-15) reported that Japan and the US signed a pact allowing “comprehensive cooperation” on transfers of technologies related to missile-defense systems. The agreement is expected to ramp up business between Japanese and American defense companies, which are eager to design, produce and sell missile defense systems that can protect against “rogue” countries.

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41. Japan SDF Dispatch to Iraq

The Japan Times (“ASDF SHOWS OFF KUWAIT BASE TO MEDIA”, 2004-12-12) reported that the Air Self-Defense Force opened its base in Kuwait to Kyodo News and other selected Japanese news organizations for the first time since it was deployed to the country in March. The ASDF contingent, based at the Ali Al Salem Air Base, airlifts supplies and troops in and around Iraq with three C-130 transport planes.

(return to top) The Asahi Shimbun (“CLERIC VOWS RESISTANCE TO EXTENDED SDF TOUR”, 2004-12-14) reported that an Islamic cleric linked to the anti-US Shiite leader Muqtada al-Sadr warned Self-Defense Forces to leave Samawah or face repercussions. “We will continue our peaceful resistance against the SDF,” said cleric Abd Al Razaq, speaking in Samawah to about 200 people at a prayer meeting at the Al Ghreib mosque. (return to top)

42. Japan Anti-terror Measure

The Japan Times (“TERRORIST TRACKING CENTER PLANNED”, 2004-12-14) reported that the Japan’s Justice Ministry will set up an intelligence centre to track the movements of suspected terrorists and identify weaknesses in immigration controls at airports. The center, expected to be established in fiscal 2005, will have more than 10 officers under its direct supervision or within the Tokyo Regional Immigration Bureau.

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43. Japan on PRC Aid

The Japan Times (“CHINA AID UP FOR REVIEW NEXT YEAR, MACHIMURA SAYS”, 2004-12-14) reported that Japan may examine its aid policy toward the PRC as early as next year with an eye to gradually reducing the official development assistance and eventually ending it altogether, Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura suggested. “I do not think ODA provision will continue forever,” Machimura told a House of Councilors panel, noting PRC’s remarkable economic development.

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44. Japan – PRC Gas Field Dispute

The Japan Times (“BILLIONS EYED FOR DRILLING NEAR CHINA”, 2004-12-15) reported that the Japanese government plans to spend some 23 billion yen in fiscal 2005 to prepare for exploratory gas drilling in Japan’s exclusive economic zone in the East China Sea. The plan is designed to demonstrate Japan’s readiness to independently explore offshore gas fields straddling the East China Sea border between the Japanese and Chinese exclusive economic zones.

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45. Japan UNSC Bid

The Japan Times (“EGYPT BACKS JAPAN’S UNSC QUEST, TROOP DISPATCH TO IRAQ: AMBASSADOR”, 2004-12-16) reported that Cairo supports Japan’s bid to be a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council and its deployment of Ground Self-Defense Force troops to southern Iraq, Egyptian Ambassador to Japan Hisham Badr said. Badr said the Islamic community has high expectations for Japan to be a new role model, one different from the US and other Western nations, and thus should be represented in the Security Council.

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III. Fellowship Opportunities

46. CISSM Fellowship

CENTER FOR INTERNATIONAL AND SECURITY STUDIES AT MARYLAND (“SCIENCE AND SECURITY POST-DOCTORAL FELLOW”, 2004-12-20) The Center for International and Security Studies at Maryland (CISSM) is accepting applications for a post-doctoral science and security fellow to work on its Advanced Methods of Cooperative Security Program which is based at the University of Maryland’s School of Public Policy. This research program seeks to prevent the misuse of biotechnology, nuclear energy, and space systems without restricting their beneficial applications by developing sophisticated arrangements to exchange sensitive information for mutual protection. (More information about the AMCS program is available at: www.cissm.umd.edu/amcs.htm.) To apply, please send by January 31, 2005 a cover letter indicating how your background and research interests mesh with the objectives of the Advanced Methods of Cooperative Security Program, along with a C.V., a short writing sample, and three letters of recommendation to: Nancy Gallagher, Research Director, Center for International and Security Studies at Maryland, School of Public Policy, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, 20742-1811 or NGallag@umd.edu. The University of Maryland is an Equal Employment Opportunity/ Affirmative Action Employer.

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47. Managing the Atom Project Research Fellowships

Harvard University (“MANAGING THE ATOM PROJECT RESEARCH FELLOWSHIPS”, 2004-12-20) Each year, the Managing the Atom Project (MTA) invites applications for MTA Research Fellowships. The deadline for fellowships for the 2005-2006 academic year is February 1st, 2005. Additional information and an application form can be found at http://bcsia.ksg.harvard.edu/fellowships.cfmprogram=CORE&pb_id=57&gma=3.We offer both pre- and post-doctoral fellowships to graduate students, scholars, and government and other professionals interested in questions pertaining to civilian and/or military applications of nuclear technology. Fellowships are for one academic year, but are sometimes renewable for a second year. If you have any questions about the MTA fellowships, you can contact me via e-mail at james_walsh@harvard.edu or by phone at 617-496-0432.

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