TOKYO MEDIA REACTION - INTER-KOREAN SUMMIT

UNCLAS TOKYO 003643 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 - INTER-KOREAN SUMMIT LEAD STORIES: Most Thursday morning papers front-paged Ambassador Schieffer's meeting Wednesday afternoon with Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) President Ozawa at the DPJ headquarters in Tokyo. ¶1. "Can Roh-Kim Summit Help Denuclearization?" The top- circulation, moderate Yomiuri editorialized (8/9): "The main focus of the just-announced inter-Korean summit will be whether the talks can give momentum to the six- party talks aimed at ending North Korea's nuclear weapons program. South Korean President Roh will visit Pyongyang on August 28 for a three-day meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, the first inter-Korean summit in seven years. The six-party talks are set to begin discussing 'next-phase actions' now that the 'initial steps' stipulated in the February six-party agreement, including a halt to operations at the Yongbyon nuclear complex, have mostly been implemented,. Given that some progress has been achieved, the upcoming inter-Korean summit needs to spur further headway in the six-party framework...." ¶2. "Excessive Concessions to North Korea Unacceptable" An editorial in the business-oriented Nihon Keizai commented (8/9): "...The creation of a framework for peace on the Korean Peninsula is likely to be a main subject of discussion at the meeting in Pyongyang between South Korean President Roh and North Korean leader Kim Jong Il. We hope that the summit will open the way toward North Korea's full denuclearization and a resolution of the abduction issue.... It is expected that North Korea, which was isolated from the international community after launching ballistic missiles and conducting a nuclear test last year, will try to create an atmosphere of inter-Korean reconciliation at the summit and to use the occasion as a lever for improving relations with the US.... South Korea's Roh government has so far taken a soft line toward the DPRK. If Roh shows an excessively conciliatory stance at the summit, resolutions of the nuclear and abduction issues will become more distant...." ¶3. "President Roh Must Represent World" The liberal Asahi editorialized (8/9): "...A direct dialogue between the leaders of a divided country is desirable both for the country in question and the entire region. Tensions surrounding North Korea's nuclear program will ease and stability will take root. We strongly hope that the upcoming summit will ensure a shift from tension to stability and open the way for the international community to entertain hopes for the future. Nonetheless, there is no sense of euphoria is Seoul along the lines of the atmosphere at the time of the first inter-Korean summit in 2000.... We hope that President Roh will coordinate views with leaders from the US, Japan, China, and Russia beforehand and meet with North Korean leader Kim as a representative of the entire international community." SCHIEFFER