TOKYO MEDIA REACTION - NORTH KOREA

1. LEAD STORIES: Most Wednesday morning papers gave top play to
yesterday's announcement by the administrative reform minister that
some 2.5 trillion yen will be pared down from the 15 trillion-yen
supplementary budget that was compiled by the former LDP
administration.



2. "Do Not Repeat Talks That Allow North Korea to Escape from
Denuclearization" On DPRK leader Kim Jong Il's reported comment to
Chinese Premier Wen that his country is prepared to hold
multilateral talks, including the Six-Party Talks, depending on the
outcome of U.S.-DPRK talks, the business-oriented Nikkei
editorialized (10/7): "Holding talks with North Korea will be
meaningless if they do not lead to denuclearization.... U.S.-DPRK
dialogue could be acceptable if it is aimed at achieving a
breakthrough. However, the U.S. previously made the mistake of
removing North Korea from the terror-sponsor list even though there
was no concrete progress on the nuclear front. The U.S. must not
make easy concessions again."



3. "North Korea Should Return to Six-Party Talks" The
top-circulation, moderate Yomiuri asserted in an editorial (10/7):
"China has been cautious about implementing sanctions against North
Korea. It can be said that this attitude was partially responsible
for creating the present situation. China may have judged that there
would be a negative effect on its foremost priority of ensuring
'stability' if the North Korean regime was weakened as a result of
sanctions. In reality, stability in East Asia, including China, has
been undermined in the face of North Korea's continued nuclear
development. In order to avoid making the same mistake, China should
vigorously enforce UN Security Council Resolution 1874."



4. "DPRK Should Declare Return to Six-Party Talks" The liberal
Mainichi insisted (10/7): "We should never compromise on the
position that the September 2005 Six-Party joint statement is still
valid.... If North Korea claims it is invalid, we must, as President
Obama stated in his UN Speech, 'stand together and demonstrate' that
international rules are not empty promises.... Kim Jong Il should
return to the Six-Party Talks without hesitation and rescue his
country by obtaining practical benefits in exchange for
denuclearization."



5. "North Korea's Return to Six-Party Talks Indispensable" The
liberal Tokyo Shimbun argued (10/7): "It cannot be denied that over
the past 15 years, the U.S. and China have gone to great lengths to
seek a settlement every time North Korea causes nuclear and missile
problems. If such a pattern becomes fixed, the Six-Party Talks will
end up being a rubber stamp venue that merely endorses plans laid
out by the U.S. and China."

ZUMWALT