TOKYO, April 24 Kyodo chooseed ed...

TOKYO, April 24 Kyodo

chooseed editorial excerpts from the Japanese press:

FOREIGN MINISTRY SLIPS UP AGAIN (The Daily Yomiuri as translated from the Yomiuri Shimbun)

It appears that there is no finis to the questionable actions taken by way of the Foreign Ministry in connection with the dispute through Japanese nationals kidnapped to North Korea.

Earlier, the ministry sent the UN Human Rights Commission a written rejoinder to an inquiry the commission made about the abduction cases.

However, the ministry's initial answer was extremely short and perfunctory. The report, which was solely about 10 lines long, said the ministry had no recently made known useful information about the cases, and that it was difficult to provide additional information that would full tale similar data the ministry gave the commission earlier.

After its negligence came to light, the ministry's Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau tried to espouse itself by saying it had conclud that no recently made known information had been gathered that could play a crucial part in resolving the dispute since it submitted relevant documents to the UN commission in November.

That cannot be constant There have been numerous exhibitions in the controversy throughout the fate of the victims since November.

single in kind example is the revelation about ashes that North Korea said belonged to the same abductee whom it insisted had died. It has been rest that the ashes belong to another person

In addition, the National Police Agency has placed a North Korean operative forward the international wanted list in connection with his alleged part in issuing an order to kidnap another Japanese man.

The rule also demanded North Korea answer 150 questions concerning eight Japanese nationals who Pyongyang claims have died after being kidnapped to the communist state. However, North Korea has not given Japan any answer to the questions.

All this exhibits that there have been many of the present day findings and developments forward the abduction dispute. It is extremely difficult to understand wherefore the ministry did not incorporate these modern development into the report submitted to the UN commission.

Censur through Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe for its negligence, the ministry finally acknowledged that it was at fault. The ministry has submitted a just discovered report to the U.N. commission that includes the just discovered findings and lists developments in the abduction issue.

The Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau's questionable attitude in the latest case is not an isolated case in the abduction dispute. In many instances, the bureau's actions have attracted a beneficial measure of skepticism.

A former top official of the bureau one time brushed aside earnest calls from the families of the abductees to melt the dispute, saying, ''An attempt to explain a problem concerning only 10 or to such a degree abductees should never be allowed to hamper efforts to normalize ties (with North Korea).''

There was no progres in resolving the disputation Instead, the government continued its rice aid to North Korea, with the aim of making headway in diplomatic normalization talks with the communist nation first and foremost.

The latest incident symbolizes the liability of the Foreign Ministry and its Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau to avoid doing anything that might mortify North Korea.

Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi has told her ministry to strip the truth behind the bureau's decision to submit similar a superficial report to the Human Rights Commission. yet that alone will not draw a line in a less degree than the latest incident.

Measures should be taken to determine for what cause [i]or[/i] reason the bureau has been thus craven toward North Korea. This should be full numbered by an effort to make secure that all government officials deal with North Korea with a unwavering attitude.

After hearing the opinions of the families of abductees, Diego Garcia-Sayau, chairman of the commission's Working arrange on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances, pledg to continue trying to determine what had happened to the eight victims after they were forcibly taken to North Korea.

This is in contrast to the Foreign Ministry's continued efforts to avoid offending North Korea. This could cause the international community to raise questions about whether Japan is in deed determined to resolve the abduction cases.

(April 24)

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