politics

Abe to tell U.N. chief he opposes talks with N Korea

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There is always something to discuss. It's called diplomacy. Even if the talks are only one sided, you should never stop talking. Once the talking stops...there is only stalemate or action. In this case, neither is advisable. The last thing we want is to give them more time to develop their missiles.

We certainly don't want them using them either.

11 ( +15 / -4 )

For the love of God man!

you should never stop talking!

havent you learned anything whilst in office?

8 ( +22 / -14 )

... and I hope the U.N. chief tells him to stop acting like a tin pot despot.

7 ( +18 / -11 )

We have seen dead North Koreans turn up in Japanese waters

We know China is building refugee camps along the border

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/dec/12/china-refugee-camps-border-north-korea

I wonder if there is a sense now, at least in Beijing, and they would be better informed than anyone, that the N.K regime is going to collapse under the weight of these sanctions.

That would be the best outcome long term

The U.N needs to focus on managing the collapse.

5 ( +7 / -2 )

Abe to tell U.N. chief he opposes talks with N Korea

because if peace prevails Mr. man baby junior has nothing more to sell.

Thank God, no one takes him seriously outside Japan.

3 ( +17 / -14 )

Kim Jong Un is miscalculating. Any country can trigger the war with a false attack right now. Time is over for talking, North Korea should do what its told to do. Or next year we will be into a war that nobody wants.

3 ( +11 / -8 )

I'm not buying this total stubbornness by NK. Their actions are based on something.

What is it they want? Everybody wants something but they, apparently don't.

Or....the powers that be, know what they want but don't want to tell us. (you and me)

For all we know, it could be something totally reasonable.

But then if they let them have it...we have lost our boogyman.

And that just can't happen.

3 ( +6 / -3 )

maybeperhapsyesToday  08:57 am JST

Tougher sanctions? Surely we reached that stage ages ago?

If not, why not.

No we haven't. China continues to supply North Korea with nearly all their oil. Russia also ships some oil.

Back in 2003, China punished North Korea for walking out of the 6-party talks by cutting off their oil. North Korea returned to the table in a mere 3 days. China has NOT done all it can do to stop North Korea.

Enough with the games. get this situation sorted!

You are welcome to take the next flight to Pyongyang via Beijing and sort this out.

3 ( +8 / -5 )

How do you talk to a guy that talks of "Sinking Japan" if his demands are not met. These talks go nowhere anyway so whats the use? North Korea gets belligerent, demands more concessions and handouts, eat, sleep , repeat. Agree this is the time for Abe to get hawkish. You simply cannot talk to lunatics and expect results, period.

3 ( +6 / -3 )

If it was up to me, I would rather see, US, China, Russia and Japan sign a non aggression pact and ensure neither country provided support in any means necessary including humanitarian until the conflict battled out by both South and North came to an end on their own terms. If it means a fight to the finish so be it, but at least it should be held by their countrymen and shedding or loss of life by either side not outsiders. Once the conflict ends and the argument is settled then the nations could assist a unified Korea.

Sorry, but this suggestion is absurd. How could stepping out of the way and letting them all kill each other be a good idea? Having lived in South Korea for 4 years, I can assure you that the South doesn't want a war. Most people in the South don't even want reunification because of the economic strain absorbing the north would cause. South Koreans aren't willing to fight to free the people of the North, they are only focused on self-defense. If the U.S. and China stepped out of the way, the North would attack, millions of people would die on both sides, the Korean peninsula would be mostly destroyed, and no one would be any better off than they are today.

The South (and probably most of the world) would be content with open borders, but that will never happen under the Kim dynasty. If those in the North realized what the rest of the world was like, The North Korean government would lose the psychological hold they have on their people and their government would collapse.

Within North Korea, the best case scenario is actually an internal uprising, but that would likely trade one dictatorship for another. Diplomacy is the only real hope for the outside world.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Every single US administrations attempts, Clinton’s 90’s “Agreed Framework”, along with George W. Bush/ Barack Obama forms of diplomacy, political arm twisting, direct/indirect communication with the Pyongyang dictatorship have amounted to nothing more than being humiliatingly strung along, as the rogue regime continued to violate one UN security council resolution after another continuing so to advance a ballistic missile and nuclear weapons programme.

This for the intention of belligerently threatening neighbours into summiting to Pyongyang will of expelling US military presence/ and ending US political influence across the region. All with the aid of the governments of Russia and China.

Appeasement has run its course.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

Taking diplomacy off the table is not a wise option

2 ( +6 / -4 )

To many five years old tootlers with a cronic temper tantrum in politics these days.

Time to grow up and become responssible.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

It's not just Abe or Trump that's saying it's not the time to talk. The UN is the only party to have talked to North Korea face to face so far and they reported that North Korea is not willing to "talk".

"The envoy, Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Jeffrey Feltman, reported that the North Koreans don’t believe the time is right for negotiations,.." 

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-12-13/un-s-north-korea-envoy-is-said-to-be-deeply-worried-after-trip

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Of course Abe doesn't want to negotiate, he needs to have his big bad bogeyman to scare the populace to trust him to protect them, and allow him to re-militarize the country. This is all supposition by me, but I sometimes wonder if the government has really tried to settle the abductee problem, or are they continuing to use it for political purposes. I know that seems very harsh, but nothing would surprise me anymore.

1 ( +11 / -10 )

Japan opposes any talks with North Korea until it has demonstrated a clear intent to abandon its weapons programs.

Either a lot of people can't read or can't think. To date NK refuses to make heir nuclear and missile program a "negotiable" issue. So just exactly what is there to discuss? As soon as NK is made to understand that the world doesn't agree with their totally unnecessary goals and are willing to TALK about it, we can all sit down and discuss it. Until then, continuous pressure in every way possible the correct thing to do.

1 ( +16 / -15 )

I'd meet with the devil himself if there was any possibility of avoiding a war.

OssanAmerican

There are many other topics to discuss besides NK discontinuing their missile programs, like what direction they're fired might be a helpful topic for starters.

1 ( +10 / -9 )

Tougher sanctions? Surely we reached that stage ages ago?

If not, why not.

No messing around folks. Tired of these scare tactics that threaten my family and scare folk I care about.

There are some genuinely scared folk out there. They don't know how diplomacy works.

It might be a big game to Abe and Trump because they know what's really likely to happen...nothing.

But tell that to the folk who live alone or our families back home who fear for us.

Enough with the games. get this situation sorted!

1 ( +7 / -6 )

Good, 2 decades of "talks" got us to this position, never again. In fact, only China and Russia support giving NK more time to finetune their thermo nukes with pointless talks, so those advocating endless talks for the sake of allowing NK to complete their nuke program can be dismissed out of hand, and even investigated.

An example has to be made of NK otherwise we'll see every third rate dictatorship around the world trying the same thing. One way or another, this is the end of NK. They're done.

1 ( +6 / -5 )

Thank God, no one takes him seriously outside Japan.

Actually... Of Japanese people I know personally... Very few if any at all like him or take him seriously.

1 ( +4 / -3 )

Stuart haywardToday  11:09 am JST

OssanAmericaToday  09:29 am JST

Stuart haywardToday  08:41 am JST

OssanAmerican

There are many other topics to discuss besides NK discontinuing their missile programs, like what direction they're fired might be a helpful topic for starters.

Sure, We could discuss which shoes Kim Jong Un should wear on Thursday. Or maybe which Wine he prefers with his Chateuxbriande. There have been EIGHT UN Security Council resolutions to prevent North Korea from carrying out further Ballistic missile and Nuclear detonation tests. North Korea continues to thumb their nose at the world and you want to discuss "what path the ballistic missile should take"? An act that legitimizes there continued violation of UN resolutions? LOL

"I already suggested a helpful topic to discuss which you totally egnored, though I'm not surprised. It's unrealistic to not realize NK already has missiles and nuclear capability, though we both are against this, you yourself said that we can't stand on a soap box and demand countries to discontinue having missile or nuclear weapons, yet this is different because it's NK.

I'm afraid your suggestion is not helpful at all. North Korea has and still maintains that their nuclear and missile programs are not up for discussion. You could sit down and try to convince them to announce their missile tests and trajectories in advance, and they will walk out of he room.

And yes, this is different because it's NK. Why? Because even though there are several nations which maintain nuclear arsenals, declared or undeclared, not one openly talks about using them on another country. This is like being in a room where everyone has a gun, but only one person is swing his around and shouting how he's going to use it. Surely you can see NK's unique situation.

As for violating UN resolutions, yes it's defiantly not something to be rewarded and I wish there was a way for the UN to be more effective. This in no way justifies NK actions but there is another country with nuclear weapons and has the world record in UN violations, it's Israel.

This article is not about Israel. Furthermore, how often have you heard of Israel threatening to use a nuclear weapon on another country?

1 ( +5 / -4 )

taitoToday  11:40 am JST

Here is what Tillerson said to the problem with NK:

We're ready to have the first meeting without precondition," Tillerson told a policy forum at the Atlantic Council, a Washington-based think tank. 

It seems you're not up to date. Just waiting for Abe to change his mind again.

And here is North Korea's response.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un vowed to "win victory in the showdown" against the U.S. with his rapidly advancing nuclear arsenal,

Kim told workers behind the latest test that his country would "victoriously advance and leap as the strongest nuclear power and military power in the world"

Seems you;re not up to date.

1 ( +4 / -3 )

Stuart haywardToday  08:41 am JST

OssanAmerican

There are many other topics to discuss besides NK discontinuing their missile programs, like what direction they're fired might be a helpful topic for starters.

Sure, We could discuss which shoes Kim Jong Un should wear on Thursday. Or maybe which Wine he prefers with his Chateuxbriande. There have been EIGHT UN Security Council resolutions to prevent North Korea from carrying out further Ballistic missile and Nuclear detonation tests. North Korea continues to thumb their nose at the world and you want to discuss "what path the ballistic missile should take"? An act that legitimizes there continued violation of UN resolutions? LOL

Nobody wants war. Obviously negotiation is the best solution. But both parties have to be prepared to negotiate and be willing to offer what the other party wants. So far North Korea is not willing to talk.

0 ( +11 / -11 )

 I know that seems very harsh

MarkX - no, I think that's exactly how things are.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Either a lot of people can't read or can't think. To date NK refuses to make heir nuclear and missile program a "negotiable" issue. So just exactly what is there to discuss?....

0 ( +6 / -6 )

If it was up to me, I would rather see, US, China, Russia and Japan sign a non aggression pact and ensure neither country provided support in any means necessary including humanitarian until the conflict battled out by both South and North came to an end on their own terms. If it means a fight to the finish so be it, but at least it should be held by their countrymen and shedding or loss of life by either side not outsiders.  Once the conflict ends and the argument is settled then the nations could assist a unified Korea.

0 ( +3 / -3 )

OssanAmerican

You could sit down and try to convince them to announce their missile tests and trajectories in advance, and they will walk out of he room.

"That's just your opinion, how do YOU single hadedly know that will be their reaction? From what I've read, the topic that's not up for discussion is for NK to completely give up missile & nuclear programs. You don't want to admit it but it was YOU who said that no country would willingly give up their missile & nuclear programs and no one can realistically demand it either."

And yes, this is different because it's NK. Why? Because even though there are several nations which maintain nuclear arsenals, declared or undeclared, not one openly talks about using them on another country. This is like being in a room where everyone has a gun, but only one person is swing his around and shouting how he's going to use it. Surely you can see NK's unique situation.

"So it's different because NK leaders have always and still continue to make threats that they've never followed through with. The US never threatened Japan with a nuclear attack, yet they are the only country to actually use them. Yes, I can see that NK is a unique situation, we just disagree act & react to them."

This article is not about Israel. Furthermore, how often have you heard of Israel threatening to use a nuclear weapon on another country?

"You brought up the topic of broken UN violations as it being unique to NK and another reason we shouldn't talk with them. I simply pointed out that Israel has the world record for that, no other country comes close. Plus, NK and Israel have another thing in common, neither will join the NPT, though they both have nukes. I wonder which country is actually attacking and killing more human beings outside of their own country?"

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Stuart haywardToday  08:26 pm JST

OssanAmerican

You could sit down and try to convince them to announce their missile tests and trajectories in advance, and they will walk out of he room.

"That's just your opinion, how do YOU single hadedly know that will be their reaction? From what I've read, the topic that's not up for discussion is for NK to completely give up missile & nuclear programs. You don't want to admit it but it was YOU who said that no country would willingly give up their missile & nuclear programs and no one can realistically demand it either."

And that they won't is just YOUR single handed opinion. You don't want to admit it but you you demand "negotiation" without suggesting a single realistic basis of even starting one, other than legitimizing NK's blatant violation of 8 UN Security Council resolutions. Pres Moon. who came into office as "soft" on NK offered them a chance to sit down and negotiate. NK ignored him. Sec of State Tillerson has offered opportunities to talk, and in both cases has been ignored by NK.

And yes, this is different because it's NK. Why? Because even though there are several nations which maintain nuclear arsenals, declared or undeclared, not one openly talks about using them on another country. This is like being in a room where everyone has a gun, but only one person is swing his around and shouting how he's going to use it. Surely you can see NK's unique situation.

"So it's different because NK leaders have always and still continue to make threats that they've never followed through with. The US never threatened Japan with a nuclear attack, yet they are the only country to actually use them. Yes, I can see that NK is a unique situation, we just disagree act & react to them."

Yes, owning a gun and threatening to use it are completely different. That the person making the threats hasn't shot anyone yet is not a consideration. That the person possesses a gun is a major consideration. NK fits this comparison perfectly. Claiming that the US "never threatened Japan" is ridiculous when both nations were at war with each other from 1941 to 1945. But you bring up an important point, the Korean War has never ended either, with both sides standing down based on an Armistice, a temporary cease fire. Since NK runs it's country as one "in a state of war" they mat feel justified in threatening to nuke U.S. cities. The problem of course is that the U.S. or rather UN Command has not maintained the same belligerent attitude.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

North Korea Kim Jung rocket Man Fat Boy dont care about people, its all about his family feudalism power to control over his North Korean slaves.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Lol abe really needs the populace primed and ready to chuck 70 years of peaceful lives for the grand old days of sending kids off to perish for illusions of grandeur. Noko is batnuts crazy true but every nation on this planet has the inalienable right to defend itself against acts of aggression. It's high time these egg heads realized that you can only fool people some of the time till the 'regime change' falls flat.

-1 ( +9 / -10 )

Abe to tell U.N. chief he opposes talks with N Korea

Then HOW is he going to get the abductees back, which he has promised to do?  Shows him for what he is- a liar.

When its politically expedient he rolls out the abductee families and says he really cares about getting their loved ones back. Then on the other hand, he opposes talks that would be the ONLY way to fulfil the promise he made to them.

He's a lying sack of you know what

-1 ( +7 / -8 )

@bj. Half agree. But the war is because America lost against North Korea and is planning a war on China.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

Here is what Tillerson said to the problem with NK:

We're ready to have the first meeting without precondition," Tillerson told a policy forum at the Atlantic Council, a Washington-based think tank. 

It seems you're not up to date. Just waiting for Abe to change his mind again.

-2 ( +3 / -5 )

Abe wants to start a war with North Korea in order to avenge the spirits of his ancestors. That's why he's not interested in talking. Who wants their children to die for Abe?

-2 ( +2 / -4 )

Boys o boys....

Because JP does not have friendly neighbors and seems to have exausted her diplomacies the UN is the Institution established to deal with such szenarios since 1945.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

OssanAmericaToday  09:29 am JST

Stuart haywardToday  08:41 am JST

OssanAmerican

There are many other topics to discuss besides NK discontinuing their missile programs, like what direction they're fired might be a helpful topic for starters.

Sure, We could discuss which shoes Kim Jong Un should wear on Thursday. Or maybe which Wine he prefers with his Chateuxbriande. There have been EIGHT UN Security Council resolutions to prevent North Korea from carrying out further Ballistic missile and Nuclear detonation tests. North Korea continues to thumb their nose at the world and you want to discuss "what path the ballistic missile should take"? An act that legitimizes there continued violation of UN resolutions? LOL

"I already suggested a helpful topic to discuss which you totally egnored, though I'm not surprised. It's unrealistic to not realize NK already has missiles and nuclear capability, though we both are against this, you yourself said that we can't stand on a soap box and demand countries to discontinue having missile or nuclear weapons, yet this is different because it's NK.

As for violating UN resolutions, yes it's defiantly not something to be rewarded and I wish there was a way for the UN to be more effective. This in no way justifies NK actions but there is another country with nuclear weapons and has the world record in UN violations, it's Israel.

-4 ( +1 / -5 )

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