Abstract
The chapter analyzes the usage of new institutional tools introduced by the central government reforms in Prime Minister Koizumi’s policy towards North Korea. It is argued that the relative success of diplomatic talks on the abduction issue was facilitated by the enhancement of the prime minister’s powers. The relaxation of the rule of dispersed management, manifested by direct reliance on Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau Director-General Tanaka Hitoshi, turned out to be instrumental in gaining leverage over the entirety of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA). While the negotiations were conducted through the bureaucratic channel, it was Koizumi’s decision to shoulder the risk of visiting Pyongyang that decided about the breakthrough in the abduction problem. As long as cohesion of the prime minister’s closest entourage (Kantei) was maintained, the head of government was sufficiently powerful to formulate foreign policy independently of MOFA. Problems started when divisions in the Kantei and MOFA surfaced after Koizumi’s first visit to Pyongyang. The prime minister, who initially displayed a flexible posture towards North Korea, gradually started balancing between the “dovish” and “hawkish” camps in his administration. Once the Kantei’s cohesion weakened and veto players in the ruling party gained in prominence, it became more difficult for the prime minister to push his policy forward without taking into account the US grand strategy. As a result, at the end of Koizumi’s term in office the negotiations with Pyongyang entered into a stalemate.
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Notes
- 1.
In 1992 it was revealed that the transportation company Sagawa Kyūbin had provided massive bribes to Kanemaru, who was charged with evading taxes and arrested in 1993.
- 2.
Ozawa Ichirō had to later withdraw his decision when it was revealed that he had also not paid his annuities.
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Zakowski, K., Bochorodycz, B., Socha, M. (2018). Prime Minister Koizumi’s Policy Towards North Korea. In: Japan’s Foreign Policy Making. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-63094-6_5
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