UPDATE: Across the East Sea, Japundit’s Ampontan and Darin comment on this whole mess.
ORIGINAL POST: As expected, Japan refused to confirm or deny the existence of a Foreign Ministry internal report that claimed the Roh administration was using anti-Japanese policies to boost his domestic approval ratings:
Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe said he could neither confirm nor deny the existence of a government report criticizing South Korean President Roh Moo Hyun of fostering anti-Japan sentiment… “I have to withhold comment as I can’t verify whether a particular report exists or not,” Abe said at a regular press conference. “Of course, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs examines international conditions. If such a report did exist, it’s common sense that we wouldn’t make it public.”
The Korean Foreign Ministry said it had expected such a response, and would instruct its relevant bureaus to formulate a response. According to Yonhap:
The government, considering how the Japanese government refused to confirm the existence of the report but didn’t deny its existence, despite it being released in detail with photos by the media, reportedly believes the document in fact exists and will formulate countermeasures.
With yesterday’s expression of strong regret over the report, such as Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon’s saying during a regular briefing before foreign and local journalists that he “couldn’t repress his fury,” the government judges that it needs to respond at an appropriate level to Japan’s no-comment.
Ah, but there’s a catch, and one the Foreign Ministry probably should have considered earlier:
However, because the problematic document was an internal document of the Japanese Foreign Ministry and concerned the Japanese government’s “understanding of reality” rather than mistaken policies or actions, it appears it won’t be easy to decide on an the level of response.
Translation: Seoul didn’t really have a right to demand Tokyo turn over an internal document, and the document in question was nothing more than a piece of analysis, but because Ban shot his mouth off, the Foreign Ministry is now in a position where it has to do something and look unreasonable or bite the bullet and look stupid.*
Better luck as UN general secretary, Mr. Ban.
* Seoul could always get creative and leak an internal memo of its own lambasting Koizumi and Co.
5 Comments
Ban and the Roh buddies should come out and announce how much they love Japan. Then they could say, “See, it just goes to show how wrong you are.” That’d throw them for a loop.
Of course that would require Ban to respond in “cool-headed manner”, which would in turn require that he “repress his fury”, which would mean that, hmm, well, on the other hand, just forget it.
Iceberg beat me to it.
I was going to point out that by acting really angry and using the leaked material for political grandstanding, the Korean government is just going to prove the Japanese opinions correct.
Another possible effect will be that the group of people who wrote the material will all get raises based on their insights and clear thinking.
Gee, Korean policians using xenophobia and racism for politcal ends. That must me a new thing. I am sure it is has never been done before. Good thing not a single person in Japan remotely gives a shit.
What! Secretary General! Korea a peace loving nation? Repeat a lie often enough and you might start believing it…
Sounds like Roh and Ban are just fishing for an issue for the Secretary General race.
They need to cozy up to China. And the Chinese’s Thai candidate just dropped out.
Speculation ahead… For now, check out Ban’s human rights problem.
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