Japan: “Food Aid to North Korea Will Be Divided into Several Shipments”

The Japanese government decided to officially approve a bill to aid North Korea with 250,000 tons of food and $10 million worth of pharmaceuticals during a Cabinet conference scheduled on August 5.

Japanese Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi announced this decision yesterday and added that food aid to North Korea will be divided into several shipments, not conducted in one gross shipment.

For the food offered to the North, foreign rice is said to be included, with flour and corn being significant.

Even though a Japanese government official said the reason for the divided offer was because of the technical capability limits of the World Food Program, which would transport the aid, the Japanese media said there was an intention of connecting the aid with the responses of North Korea surrounding the re-investigation into the 10 missing persons suspected of being abducted.

In the meantime, North Korea and Japan will hold working-level talks to solve the Japanese abduction issue starting on August 11 in Beijing, the Japanese Sankei Shimbun reported.

Won-Jae Park parkwj@donga.com