Here’s the NY Times story about five Japanese citizens kidnapped to North Korea 25 years ago, finally being allowed to return to Japan.
Not one of them is staying. All of them have children left behind that they will return to. Apparently the official line is that the children stayed behind voluntarily and the parents are voluntarily returning. What a crock!
My most optimistic interpretation is this: Japan and North Korea agreed to a face-saving gesture for Korea. The 5 people would make a visit and return, to demonstrate to the world the what North Korean government isn’t really all that horrible. Afterall, if they’re going back of their own accord, how bad can it be? At a later date, the five and their children will be offered a genuine chance to return to Japan permanently. Of course, the personal preferences of the 5 mean nothing to either side, so holding onto the children assures their cooperation.
My most pessimistic interpretation: Japan doesn’t want to get them back at all. But they want to demonstrate to their domestic constituents their toughness in wringing concessions from the North Koreans. The 5 abductees will just make a show, return to Korea, and be left to rot.
I hope not the latter. I’m curious about whether (or how much of) the bushido culture remains in Japan. In WWII, Japanese soldiers and civilians alike killed themselves rather than submit to the humiliation of surrender. Is it conceivable that these 5 would be shunned/ostracized because they chose to survive? Is it conceivable the Japanese government won’t make damn sure these folks have a genuine opportunity to return?
Just that you know, a Taiwanese military person has just defected to the PRC with his family.
Not everybody shares your view of the world and what an utopia is.
Maybe so, but from what I hear, there is a BIG difference between the half-starved North Korea and Japan. Givent that they were kidnapped, I imagine some of these 5 would, in fact, like to return home permanently.
SInce the OP is unprovable, I cannot comment.
Utopia? I never came close to suggesting that Japan is a Utopia, but I can see how you might infer that IMHO North Korea is a less preferable choice of home than is Japan. Especially if you were violently kidnapped by N. Korea and spent the better part of your life under involuntary restraint.
So, Urban Ranger, under these circumstances, what do you think the odds are that not one of them chooses to stay in Japan, and that not one of their children chose to visit Japan, without any coersion from the North Korean government.
Personally I put the odds at nearly 0. That’s one thing I would like more opinions on.
The other is Japan’s level of collusion with North Korea. What’s their gain here?
Urban Ranger, had these people defected to North Korea of their own free will, I doubt that the Japanese government would care in the slightest unless they had access to sensitive information. The homecoming certainly wouldn’t be a news story. These folks are a concern for both governments because they were abducted by N. Korean agents 20-30 years ago and taken there against their will.
Personally, I think the Japanese government would be happiest if the families of the abductees would go away and stop complaining, but that may be exceedingly cynical on my part.
As for the abductees, I think using the word “former” to describe them is a misnomer. Unless their spouses and children are allowed to leave with them, it’s just a PR ploy by Pyongyang, and a rather hollow one at that.