A clumsy diplomatic dance

After talks between Japanese and DPRK officials in Stockholm and Beijing, the DPRK agreed to reopen the investigation into the Japanese nationals abducted by the DPRK in the 1970s and the 1980s in exchange for food and medical supplies. The DPRK is supposed to report its initial findings in late August or early September.

Abe immediately rewarded the DPRK by lifting some of Japan's sanctions on the isolated country.

Japan's Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida told the Upper House Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee of Japan's parliament on June 3 that Abe might visit Pyongyang to get "the most effective response" and "bring results". There was then heated speculation in Japan about a possible visit by Abe to Pyongyang in August.

But in a phone talk with Kishida on July 7, US Secretary of State John Kerry warned Abe's trip could disturb the trilateral efforts of the US, Japan and the ROK to rein in the DPRK's nuclear program. He asked Japan to consult with the US in advance should Abe plan to visit Pyongyang and before lifting any more sanctions.

This was widely considered an indication that Washington was concerned about the recent developments in relations between Japan and the DPRK.

However, Abe is desperately seeking something to boost his waning popularity. The approval rating for his Cabinet has been on the slide since July 1, when he announced the decision to allow Japan the right to collective self-defense, which broke a post-war taboo and made it possible for Japan to send fighting troops overseas again.

Former Japanese prime minister Junichiro Koizumi might have been the inspiration for his latest moves.

The DPRK admitted to kidnapping Japanese nationals in 2002 when Koizumi made an unprecedented visit to the DPRK, and he returned to Tokyo with five people that had been abducted. Koizumi flew to Pyongyang again in 2004, returning with five children of abductees. Koizumi's flagging popularity soared after the two visits, though admittedly not for long.

The number of the Japanese abductees in the DPRK remains a mystery. It is estimated to be about 470 according to the Investigation Commission on Missing Japanese Probably Related to North Korea, a Tokyo-based citizens' group, but 860 as estimated by Japan's National Police Agency.