2003.09.01

Washington May Make NK Concessions. Boston Globe: After more than two years of trying to isolate reclusive North Korea, the Bush administration is preparing to offer Pyongyang diplomatic relations, security guarantees, and other concessions if it agrees to dismantle its nuclear weapons program, according to administration officials involved in internal deliberations. The approach marks a major policy shift toward what President Bush has labeled a member of the "axis of evil." The Bush White House broke with the Clinton administration's carrot-and-stick approach, preferring to stand firm against North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, whom it accused of violating a 1994 agreement to freeze Pyongyang's weapons program. Funny, a NYT editorial just suggested this two days ago: Given Pyongyang's history of breaking past agreements, it should not receive any rewards based on promises alone. There is, however, no reason Washington cannot spell out what it will be willing to do once North Korea demonstrates that it has permanently abandoned its nuclear weapons ambitions. [The Agonist] 2003.09.01

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1 Million Japanese Join Earthquake Drill (AP).  In a drill aimed at testing earthquake preparations, Japan's prime minister announced live on TV that a quake had devastated large areas near Tokyo and declared a mock emergency Monday. [Yahoo! News - World] 2003.09.01

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South Korea Says North's No-Talks Stance a Tactic (Reuters). North Korea's threat to boost its nuclear program following talks that sought to close it down was probably a negotiating tactic, South Korea said on Monday. [Yahoo! News - World] 2003.09.01

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Nippon Oil-SK Deal (Reuters via NY Times)   Troubled Nippon Oil gets some needed lubrication. 2003.09.01

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Nikkei Surges (Kyodo)   Nikkei closes up 326 points. 2003.09.01

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Nikkei Surging   The benchmark Nikkei stock index in Tokyo is up more than 230 points about 90 minutes before the closing bell. It is at a 14-month high. More on this after the market close. 2003.09.01

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International Reactions to the Korea Summit. International Reactions to the Korea Summit: For links to the original articles, see the Agonist North Korea Focus Forum AFP via Spacewar: According to Chinese news agency Xinhua, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Losyukov , who led the Russian delegation, denied claims Saturday by US officials that Pyongyang had threatened to conduct a nuclear test during the talks. Channel News Asia, Singapore: Japan is holding live fire exercises, and its defense ministry has requested over a billion US dollars in funding for a US-made missile defence system. Tokyo has so far stopped short of moving the project to the development stage out of fear of angering China. The Japanese Defence Minister is flying to Beijing on Monday to alleviate Beijing's concerns over Japanese efforts to boost its defence capabilities. The Age, Australia: Japan's space agency on Sunday began final rehearsals for the launch of its second pair of spy satellites next month, according to a news report. Japan successfully launched its first spy satellites on March 28 as part of a US$2 billion plan to monitor North Korea's missile and nuclear programs. The launch triggered an angry warning from the communist nation, which accused Japan of escalating a regional arms race. AFP via Hindustan Times: Japan on Sunday again warned North Korea it could not expect substantial Japanese aid until it solved the issue of the Cold War kidnapping of Japanese citizens. Korea Times, South Korea: Scott Snyder, Seoul representative of the Asia Foundation, questioned whether, as things stand now, China will be able to stand up to say no to any future attempt by Washington to take the matter to the United Nations Security Council, as it did in July. Referral to council will likely be followed by a statement of condemnation that will certainly push Pyongyang further into diplomatic isolation. [The Agonist] 2003.09.01

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Japan's Ruthless Recovery (Newsweek via MSNBC)   Newsweek appears to believe that if only Japan had more M&A suits, its economic woes would be minimized. 2003.09.01

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