On Wednesday, Japan said that it will not submit a motion against the human rights record of North Korea at a United Nation Panel. This decision was made first time in more than a decade.
This verdict came after Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe explored ways to indulge North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in an effort to resolve the kidnappings of Japanese nationals by Pyongyang agents.
Earlier Abe expressed a very strong and hard stance against North Korea’s but it was toned down against Pyongyang. This narrative came because United States President Donald Trump actively courts Kim. Abe is now putting extra effort into meeting Kim to resolve the abduction issue.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga gave a briefing in which he said “Having reviewed the outcome of the US-North Korea summit meeting as well as various conditions surrounding the abduction and other issues, we have decided not to submit a draft resolution on the situation of human rights in the DPRK at the current Human Rights Council being held in Geneva.”
Japan has been involved with the European Union for the past 11 years to mutually issue a motion to express disapproval of human rights conditions in North Korea. Abe has said that Japan is read to normalize diplomatic ties with North Korea but kidnapping of citizens is the top most priority.
It was considered by Tokyo that North Korea was involved in the kidnapping of at least 17 Japanese nationals to train its spies in language and customs in the 1970s and 80s.
After years of denial, North Korea admitted in 2002 that it had taken 13 Japanese civilians. Campaigners, however, believe the disappearance of up to 470 Japanese may be linked to North Korea.