Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Benefits for Bogus Information

The North Koreans can strike deals like nobodies business. The Japanese have agreed to loosen some sanctions in return for North Korea's assurance of investigating further the issue of the Japanese abductees. I haven't heard if they are investigating further the cases they have already claimed are dead or those they claim never happened. Either way, any "findings" from an investigation that counters North Korea's current stance can only lead to further demands and anger on the part of the Japanese. And any "findings" that reveal what North Korea has already stated won't be accepted as credible. Unless the Japanese are being allowed to go in and investigate or observe the investigation I see that little will come of this new move. Except more tension when the unhappy results of any investigation become known. But kudos to the North Koreans for getting a do-over on this issue. They certainly botched it the first time.

Currently reading:

"Hell" by Yasutaka Tsutsui