[USFK Forums] Japanese Govt to tighten screws on North Korea [Yomiuri]

[C. Y. Lee]

Uploaded by C. Y. Lee on Sunday, March 5, 2006

Govt to tighten screws on North Korea

The Yomiuri Shimbun, Sunday, March 5, 2006

The government intends to enforce existing laws more strictly to restrict the illegal flow of people, commodities and money between Japan and North Korea, sources said Saturday.

The planned policy is designed to further pressure North Korea to solve problems relating to the abduction of Japanese nationals by the reclusive state's agents before the government goes ahead with economic sanctions, the sources added.

The government has decided to set up a subcommittee under the abduction task force at the Prime Minister's Office. The subcommittee will comprise senior figures from the National Police Agency, the Economy, Trade and Industry Ministry, the Finance Ministry, the Justice Ministry, the Financial Services Agency and the Japan Coast Guard.

Subcommittee members will share information so they can improve immigration controls and clamp down on illegal exports to, and smuggling from, North Korea.

The Finance and Justice ministries will boost staff numbers at immigration control and customs respectively to inspect North Korean officials and their belongings more thoroughly, the sources said.

Police officers fluent in Korean and with experience of investigating crime related to North Korea will be also posted at immigration control and customs, they added.

METI plans to carry out surprise inspections of about 100 domestic companies dealing in dual-use commercial products by the end of the year under the Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Law.

The sources further added that the FSA will report to investigators financial transactions they consider suspicious, such as money laundering related to North Korea or terrorist cash transfers.

Meanwhile, the Japan Coast Guard plans to increase its number of staff and conduct more rigorous inspections of vessels traveling between Japan and North Korea. Patrols seeking to clamp down on stimulant drug smuggling and other controlled items will be increased.

The government also plans to create an intelligence subcommittee to regularly exchange intelligence on North Korea. The subcommittee will be under the abduction task force.

Sitting on the subcommittee will be the NPA commissioner general, the cabinet secretary for information and research, the Public Security Investigation Agency secretary general and the administrative vice foreign minister, the sources said.

Under Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe, government ministries and agencies have been informally discussing stricter law enforcement of the illicit activities of North Koreans since December. These discussions led to the clampdown on Yamaha Motor Co.'s illegal export of remote-controlled helicopters to China and the illegal export of a freeze drier to North Korea.



(Mar. 5, 2006)

(END)

[Mr. Joe]

Abduction Task Force? Special intelligence sub-committee? Sounds like the Japanese have had enough of the North Korean double-talk!
Good for them. The Japanese have no need to befriend a country that has spit in their face.

They could better spend their time trying to negotiate mutually beneficial trade with South Korea.

[mike]

I have a feeling the Japanese and Americans are starting to work together on the issue of illegal actives coming out of North Korea. If you get South Korea and China to do the same, you will make some real progress. Sadly, Japan and the U.S. are taking the lead while South Korea sits idle.

Mike