By Will McGowan
Trump has shocked the world with his unanticipated offering to negotiate with North Korea. South Korea’s president, Moon Jae-In, has accepted this news, and will be joining the nation’s talks. However, Japan’s exclusion from the negotiations have led to a fear of being left out in important talks with its allies.
Talks of denuclearization with North Korea are planned to be discussed, with South Korea taking charge in leading the talks. Japan and its Prime Minister, Shinzō Abe, are hoping to remain politically involved with the possible discussions with the Korean dictatorship.
Abe met with a South Korean envoy, Suh Hoon, to discuss the negotiations Trump and Kim Jong Un will be having. The prime minister reportedly wanted to know what talks will be held and how the negotiations will go.
However, even though he is to join the negotiations, Abe has been dealing with more than his desire to sit with South Korea and the U.S. It’s likely he’ll be caught up in political drama before he’ll have a chance to work with his allies.
In addition to finding out about his exclusion from the negotiations, Trump has also placed tariffs on many countries. Japan is included in this list, which may potentially lead to a minor fall in Japan’s economy.
A scandal has also been revealed involving Japan’s Finance Ministry and the Japanese government. The government was exposed for tampering with crucial documents, that have been related to a deal that could possibly implicate the Japanese prime minister, which could be the reason for Japan’s current political absence.
However, this eruption of political drama doesn’t mean that Abe still doesn’t want to have certain points brought up during the talks, even without him. He wishes that North Korea should take “specific actions toward denuclearization”.
“With the circumstances presented to him, Abe should get involved and negotiate with the other countries at the table,” said freshman Lanie Wahl, “It is always better to have multiple opinions and views on world subjects.”
It is not clear if Japan is going to get involved with the negotiations, but all the world can do at the moment is wait for any critical decisions by the countries. More information is sure to come in the next month or two.