Is there a mystery in North Korea’s rare notification to Japan of the DPRK-Japan dialogue？

　　Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, May 30-The Japanese government said on the 29th that Prime Minister kishida fumio ordered "all preparations" after receiving the notification of the satellite launch plan from North Korea. The Japanese Defense Ministry ordered the Self-Defense Forces to prepare for intercepting the wreckage of the North Korean rocket.

　　On the same day, Park Sang-ji, Deputy Foreign Minister of the DPRK, made a speech in response to Kishida’s statement of "seeking to realize the summit meeting between Japan and the DPRK as soon as possible" on the 27th, saying that the DPRK is willing to talk with Japan, but it should not be limited to the so-called "kidnapping issue".

　　On August 10th, 2022, Japanese Prime Minister kishida fumio held a press conference at the Prime Minister’s residence in Tokyo, Japan. Xinhua News Agency (Pool photo, photo by Rodrigo Reyes Marin)

　　Notify the launch plan

　　Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiroshi Matsuno said at a regular press conference on the morning of the 29th that the North Korean waterway management department contacted the waterway briefing room of the Japan Coast Guard through an e-mail in the early morning to inform the satellite launch plan.

　　According to the Japan Coast Guard and the Ministry of Marine and Fisheries of the Republic of Korea, the DPRK informed the Japanese side that the launch window will be from 0: 00 on May 31 to 0: 00 on June 11, and three dangerous areas will be designated, two of which are located in the western waters of South Korea and one is located in the east of the Philippines, all outside the so-called "exclusive economic zone" of Japan.

　　On the morning of the same day, Kishida instructed the relevant departments of the Japanese government to request that information collection and analysis be foolproof and properly release the news to the people; Cooperate with the United States and South Korea and strongly demand that North Korea refrain from launching; Be fully prepared for unexpected events.

　　According to Matsuno, the North Korean launch vehicle may fly over the Ryukyu Islands. Japanese Defense Minister Yasushi Hamada has issued a "destruction measure order" for intercepting missiles to the Self-Defense Forces, and is prepared to use the "Standard -3" air defense missile of the Aegis ship of the Maritime Self-Defense Forces and the "Patriot -3" missile defense system deployed in Miyako, Ishigaki and Nagano islands of Okinawa Prefecture to shoot down any object that may fall into Japanese territory.

　　On April 9, 2013, at the headquarters of the Ministry of Defense in Tokyo, Japan, the Patriot 3 missile launcher was parked in the stadium. Xinhua News Agency (photo by Guan Xianyilang)

　　This is the first time that the Japanese Defense Ministry has issued an interception order against North Korea’s launch activities since 2016.

　　However, some analysts pointed out that, unlike the Western media’s rendering of Japan’s "warning to shoot down the North Korean missile", Japan’s preparation for interception is actually aimed at the possibility that the North Korean satellite failed to launch and the rocket wreckage fell into Japan. In the past, when North Korea carried out launch activities, the Japanese Self-Defense Forces only monitored and never intercepted them.

　　North Korea informed relevant international organizations before launching satellites. For example, in 2016, North Korea informed United Nations agencies such as the International Civil Aviation Organization, the International Maritime Organization and the International Telecommunication Union that it would launch an Earth observation satellite. According to the provisions of the International Maritime Organization’s Global Navigation Warning Service, Japan is the coordinating country of the navigation warning area to which North Korea and South Korea belong, and the member countries in the area need to inform Japan of the maritime military exercise plan. Despite this, it is still rare for North Korea to inform Japan of its satellite launch plan.

　　According to Yonhap News Agency, North Korea has not notified the International Maritime Organization of the launch plan.

　　This photo provided by Korean Central News Agency on March 19, 2017 shows that North Korea conducted a ground ignition test of a new high-power rocket engine at the Xihai Satellite Launch Site in the early morning of March 18. Xinhua News Agency/Korean Central News Agency

　　Respond to Kishida’s statement

　　Just two days before the DPRK’s notification, that is, on the 27th, Kishida met with the families of Japanese victims of the "kidnapping problem" in the Japanese capital Tokyo, and later delivered a speech at the relevant rally, saying that the government he led would be committed to holding high-level consultations with the DPRK "under my direct control", and then "as soon as possible" to realize unconditional talks with Kim Jong-un, the top leader of the DPRK, so as to promote the return of kidnapped Japanese citizens.

　　In his speech, Kishida said that establishing a beneficial relationship with North Korea will be "beneficial to both Japan and North Korea and a great contribution to regional stability and peace". Kyodo News quoted a Japanese government source as saying that Kishida showed that "he is ready to talk to North Korea".

　　On the 29th, Park Sang-ji, deputy foreign minister of the DPRK, made a speech through the Korean Central News Agency, responding to Kishida’s statement, demanding that the Japanese side come up with a new plan and make a new decision, and demonstrate its will to improve the DPRK-Japan relations with practical actions.

　　Park Xiangji said that the Japanese side verbally said that it hoped to hold "Japan-DPRK summit talks without preconditions" and "actually still clung to the kidnapping problem that has already been solved and our country’s right to self-defense".

　　"What Japan wants or wants is still a mystery. However, if you don’t have the courage to come up with other countermeasures to rewrite history, just taking the old-fashioned ways of previous regimes in an attempt to realize the unsuccessful desire is a complete miscalculation and can only waste precious time. "

　　Park Xiangji said, "If Japan … … To make new decisions and find a way out for improving relations, there is no reason for the DPRK and Japan not to deal with each other. "This is the position of the DPRK.

　　In 2002, North Korea admitted to kidnapping many Japanese in 1970s and 1980s, sent back five kidnapped Japanese citizens and handed over some remains. Japanese officials have determined that 17 Japanese citizens have been kidnapped and asked the DPRK to explain the whereabouts of the remaining 12 people. The DPRK insists that the "kidnapping problem" has been solved.

　　In an interview with media reporters on the 29th, Kishida stressed that even if North Korea launches a satellite, he will not change his position of hoping to negotiate with the DPRK and realize the summit meeting between Japan and the DPRK as soon as possible. (Hu Ruoyu)