Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and U.S. President George W. Bush are likely to warn North Korea over its alleged reprocessing of spent fuel rods that could be used to make nuclear weapons, when they meet in the United States later this month, a senior Foreign Ministry official said Wednesday. Another senior Foreign Ministry official said the two leaders may issue a joint statement demanding that North Korea immediately scrap its nuclear weapons program. Koizumi and Bush, who will meet May 22 and 23 at the Camp David presidential retreat outside Washington, are expected to express their opposition to North Korea's reprocessing the spent fuel rods to extract weapons-grade plutonium, the senior Foreign Ministry official told reporters on condition of anonymity. Bush is also scheduled meet with South Korean President Roh Moo Hyun in Washington later this month to promote policy coordination to deal with the North Korean nuclear issue. Koizumi was quoted as saying in a meeting Wednesday evening with Takenori Kanzaki, leader of the junior coalition partner New Komeito, that he wants to closely cooperate with the U.S. and South Korea over North Korean issues. Kanzaki visited the prime minister's office after returning from a trip to Seoul where he met with the South Korean president.
Japan is currently seeking a peaceful solution to the issue through dialogue, but discord in the government appears to be growing as there are increasing voices favoring a hard-line stance, including imposing economic sanctions against Pyongyang. The official, who appears to favor a peaceful solution, said no country is currently calling for economic sanctions under the United Nations. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda indicated Japan's policy toward North Korea remains intact, saying it is seeking to comprehensively solve security issues concerning North Korea, including the abduction of Japanese nationals by the North. Japan wants a comprehensive solution through dialogue, he told a press conference. |