Special Adviser to Japan PM says stronger sanctions against North Korea 'absolutely necessary'
The UN Security Council had tough words for North Korea last night in response to firing a ballistic missile over Japan, but a special adviser to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says it's not enough.
Tomohiko Taniguchi told As It Happens guest host Susan Bonner that the world needs to show North Koreans that "endless talk and discussion cannot go any further."
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After an emergency meeting on the missile test, the UN's most powerful body called North Korea's actions "outrageous," saying it was deliberately undermining peace and stability in the region. The council called for North Korea to take "immediate, concrete actions" to "reduce tensions in the Korean Peninsula and beyond."
But the U.S.-drafted statement announced no new sanctions against North Korea.
Taniguchi spoke with As It Happens guest host Susan Bonner about how his government is responding to the threat from North Korea. Here is part of their conversation.
Mr. Taniguchi, would you have liked to see the United Nations lay out some tougher measures against North Korea last night?
That's exactly what Japan, the United States and South Korea are working on, but it is not going to bind North Korea's actions and something stronger is absolutely necessary.
Are you talking about stronger language or are you talking about specific action?
What is even more important is not words, but deeds. There is a growing opportunity for Japan and other countries to raise the issue of banning North Korea from importing petrol and oil and that's going to be among the strongest sanctions ever imposed on North Korea.
What is the likelihood that China would agree to that?
Well, exactly — that's the question. Apart from petrol and oil, 90% of the trade that North Korea has maintained has been with China and unless you could fully engage Beijing, very few attempts would be successful. I'm sure Japanese diplomats with their colleagues and others will work very hard to convince Beijing as well as Moscow of how important it is for the international community to send a unified, strong message to North Korea.
Mr.Taniguchi, this is not the first time that North Korea has fired a missile over Japan. It happened in 2009, and before that in 1998. Your government has referred to this most recent test as unprecedented. What is it that is different now?
Over the last couple years, North Korea has stopped saying something like it is an attempt to launch a satellite into space. And Pyongyang is now unabashedly recognizing that the flying objects that North Korea is launching are nothing but missiles with military objectives. And that's a substantial departure from what we saw in the past.
What is Japan's capability in terms of a response? Intercept a missile? What reaction would Japan take?
It is theoretically possible for Japan to shoot one of its anti-missiles against the incoming North Korean missile.
It was a carefully calibrated launch by North Korea to provoke, to both test its technology and send a signal to the world about its technology and yet to do in a way that would not be seen as a direct threat. What is Japan's reaction to this carefully calibrated approach by North Korea?
You may be right that North Koreans showed their own capacity to carefully calibrate the course of flight of the missile. But seen from the Japanese perspective, it is as if above your roof guns have been, gunfire has been done almost constantly over the last couple of years since Kim Jong-un took office. And the Japanese government has shown quite a degree of restraint and are still willing to negotiate with the UN Security council members for a stronger sanction.
You mentioned Japan is still willing to negotiate, that diplomacy is still ongoing. And yet today, U.S. President Donald Trump has tweeted that "talking is not the answer," and earlier this week he said "all options are on the table." What's your response to the President's language?
Mr. Trump means that one dialogue attempt after another has ended in vain. That's something that one must recognize. Weakness invites provocation and that's the important thing that members of the international community should understand. To show weakness to North Korea is only going to invite further provocations. Saying that all options are on the table means a lot of things. It does not necessarily mean that the United States is going to use other military options anytime soon. But to show to the North Koreans that endless talk and discussion cannot go any further.
I want to ask you about how this talk and this experience that Japan went through this week, what kind of effect it's having on the people of Japan. How are they feeling?
North Korea has remained for many decades one of the greatest sources of troubles and nuisance, to be frank with you. But people are not extremely alarmed by this. But now you're talking about a military missile and possibly soon with nuclear capacity. And by the time it will happen, the Japanese government has to work very hard to prevent North Korea from going to that direction.
It is important to calm the collective psyche of the Japanese people. It is not the time for them to panic. And fortunately there is not panicking on the streets.
With files from The Associated Press. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. For more, listen to our conversation with Tomohiko Taniguchi: