Wednesday marked the first anniversary of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's historic visit to North Korea, during which he met face to face with General Secretary Kim Jong Il. The meeting produced a joint declaration calling for, among other things, an early normalization of relations between the two nations.
Mr. Kim admitted that North Korean agents had abducted Japanese nationals in the 1970s and 1980s. By doing so, he raised hopes for the resolution of this long-standing issue, which stands in the way of normalization talks. Thus Mr. Koizumi's visit heralded, or so it seemed, a turnaround not only in bilateral relations but also in the Northeast Asian situation.
However, events of the past year show that things have deteriorated, rather than improved. The abduction issue is nowhere near a settlement. Five abductees are back in Japan, but their loved ones remain in North Korea. In the meantime, Pyongyang claims to have stepped up efforts to develop nuclear weapons in violation of the joint declaration.