Japan - North Korea relations : major issues, future prospects and the impact on East Asian security
Date
2014-01-24
Authors
Schlosser, Anne-Marie
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Abstract
This research report attempts to analyse the current relationship between Japan and North
Korea by looking at the major issues that persist between the two countries and the future
prospects for the normalisation of relations. This is done within the larger context of the
North Korean nuclear issue and regional security as a whole. The analysis of this topic is
done using the theory of Balance-of-Threat within Neo-Realist International Relations theory.
This report focuses on the key features that currently define the Japanese-North Korean
relationship, namely Japan’s fixation on the issue of the kidnapping of Japanese citizens by
North Korea in the 1970s and 1980s, as well as the perceived threat of North Korean missiles
- a fear justified by the missile tests of 1998, 2006 and 2009. These issues form the basis for
analysing their relationship within the Six Party Talks and how the negotiating style of each
country has worked to undermine progress on the nuclear issue. This report also aims to give
insight into the administrations and policies of the current leadership in Japan and North
Korea. It looks at North Korea’s transition to the leadership of Kim Jong-un and examines his
polices and possible future directions. It then looks at the recent election of Japanese Prime
Minister Shinzo Abe and the possible directions that his policies will take in the future with
regards to North Korea. Finally this report looks at the areas of possible cooperation between
Japan and North Korea and how overlooked elements may hold the key to improving their
troubled relationship.
Description
Thesis (M.A.)--University of the Witwatersrand, Faculty of Humanities, International relations, 2013