Cablegate: Tokyo Media Reaction - Six-Party Talks

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UNCLAS TOKYO 003349

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR I/RF, PA/PR/FPC/W, IIP/G/EA, EAP/PD, R/MR,
EAP/J, EAP/P, PM;
USTR FOR PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICE;
TREASURY FOR OASIA/IMI;
SECDEF FOR OASD/PA;
CP BUTLER OKINAWA FOR AREA FIELD OFFICE;
PACOM HONOLULU FOR PUBLIC DIPLOMACY ADVISOR

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: OIIP KMDR KPAO JA
SUBJECT: TOKYO MEDIA REACTION - SIX-PARTY TALKS

LEAD STORIES: Monday morning's Nihon Keizai front-paged
the GOJ decision to accept an IAEA inspection of the
TEPCO Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear plant damaged by last
Monday's massive earthquake.

1. "No Optimism Warranted over DPRK Denuclearization"
The top-circulation, moderate Yomiuri editorialized
(7/21): "Procedures for North Korea's denuclearization
could not be finalized in the recent round of the six-
party talks in Beijing, and the participants put off
dealing with thorny issues. As a nation facing a
serious threat from North Korea's missiles and nuclear
program, Japan has no grounds for optimism about the
future.... The US seems to be rushing to implement the
February agreement, but as long as there is no clear
roadmap toward North Korea's complete abandonment of
all its nuclear programs, Washington should not opt for
an easy compromise with Pyongyang...."

2. "DPRK Cannot Be Allowed to Use Six-Party Talks to
Stall for Time" An editorial in the business-oriented
Nihon Keizai commented (7/21): "A three-day meeting of
the chief delegates to the six-party talks in Beijing
ended without clarifying a timeline for implementing
'next-phase' measures to disable North Korea's nuclear
facilities.... The other five parties to the talks,
including host-country China, need to band together to
step up the 'dialogue and pressure' approach so as not
to allow North Korea to play for time any longer. The
main purpose of the six-party talks, which is to get
the DPRK to abandon its nuclear programs in a complete,
verifiable, and irreversible manner, must not be
forgotten."

SCHIEFFER

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