Japan urges N Korea to cancel impending launch

“North Korea should listen to the international community, and we strongly urge the North to refrain from the launch”

People have been insisting for quite some time that NKorea listen to the international community on its nuclear program. Unfortunately, Japan insisted then that NKorea only listen to its complaints on the bilateral abduction issue, and therefore reneged on the aid it promised. 'Tis a shame that they did not try to resolve some more impending issues first.

Anyway, let's hope NK listens to reason, including the Japanese pleas, but I doubt they will. That being said, let's hope there is no serious damage from the 'satellite' launch, and that there are no premature overreactions. If it proves to be a missile and some debris causes damage to Japan, then it will be time to discuss repercussions.

North Korea is led by a bunch of gangsters. They are only interested in maintaining their own wealth by international extortion. Listening to the international community would set them down the path of their own demise which is something they will never do. The only country with enough influence to change things there is China and apparently they prefer to keep North Korea as a underdeveloped medieval farming community on their doorstep rather than let it become a westernized country like South Korea.

smithinjapan at 05:39 PM JST - 31st March

You are normally near spot on with most of your posts yet when it comes to NK you consistently make excuses for them. Either that or you simply can’t stop yourself from having a dig at Japan. NK is an out of control child, yet for you the best policy has always been to appease them, despite the fact that all past appeasement has proved worthless & produced nothing in the way of positive results.

NK is going to fire off a rocket/missile that they know they shouldn’t fire, it is going to pass over Japan & as such Japan has every right to be unhappy about it. I’m sorry that NK is where it is & can’t fire its rockets/missiles some other direction, but there it is & that can’t be done anything about. So why should Japan be made to accept responsibility for this?

You said that “Japan insisted then that NKorea only listen to its complaints on the bilateral abduction issue, and therefore reneged on the aid it promised.”

“Only listen to its complaints”? Are you suggesting NK actually listens to anybody? Are you suggesting the NK did listen to Japan & therefore junked all other issues? You are blaming Japan for screwing the whole deal up, a deal that was never going to go anywhere anyway. NK I am sure does not need your help in finding excuses for not doing what it never intended doing in the first place.

I would be interested in your opinion of NK’s latest three kidnap victims, but only after the launch when they are being used as human shields against sanctions. Nice people you make excuses for.

This is wicked BS á la Iran.

We are going to fire a missile over YOUR territory. If you try to destroy it WE will regard it as an act of war.

smithinjapan --- You never give any credit to Japan. You never give them any benefit of doubt. In this case there isn't any doubt to begin with.

Seems you are marked for life with anti-Japanese agenda.

North Korea: Launch the missile! Japan: shoot down the missile! I've already put popcorn and beer on my spectator chair!

smith, your usual blame Japan rhetoric is really out in left field here. Japan, The United States, UK, France, Russia have all told NKorea not to launch in violation of a 2006 UN Resolution. And now we know the Iranians are attending. There is but one party to blame for what is going on at this moment. I think it best you hang up your role as a mouthpiece for the DPRK.

"communications satellite" what communications?

I hope Japan or the USA has the courage to shoot that missile down. If not.. this opens a whole new can of crap for the planet (as a whole).

I believe this is the test (now) Vice President Biden mentioned before taking office. Everyone remember him saying, "Within 6 months of taking office some country would test Barak Obama" Well.. they put off this test, hoping Obama would be the one in power when it was launched. Why would they do that.. some might ask.. Because they don't think Obama has the balls to stop them. They knew Grorge Bush Jr. would have gave the order to shoot it down (and rightly so)

In this drama episode with the nutcase North Koreans, Japan is perfectly justified in shooting down the debris from their crappy rocket.

We are all sick and tired of North Korea's behavior. When will they just go back to basics and feed their starving people?

I believe this is the test (now) Vice President Biden mentioned before taking office. Everyone remember him saying, "Within 6 months of taking office some country would test Barak Obama" Well.. they put off this test, hoping Obama would be the one in power when it was launched. Why would they do that.. some might ask.. Because they don't think Obama has the balls to stop them. They knew Grorge Bush Jr. would have gave the order to shoot it down (and rightly so)

Don't start the whole which-president-is-better arguement in this article.

This is all part of an attempt by NK to open up bilateral talks with the US only and to cut out the regional negotiations with ROK, Japan and perhaps even China. NK probably calculates that it can negotiate from a stronger position with the US as any bilateral talks/agreements would diminish or cut out the input from Japan and ROK.

I don't think having a new President has much to do with it either - I'd say that the timing of it is more to do with the financial crisis in the hope of a quick solution/negotiations because the Region/World has 'bigger fish to fry' so to speak. A single unified response from ROK, Japan, the US and even throw China and Russia in there would effectively thwart the strategy, in my opinion.

My 2 cents.

KumaNiku