16
need to engage in coalitions makes the Prime Ministers vulnerable to back-lashes from
public opinion. Furthermore, after the collapse of the Tanaka faction in 1990, no
dominant faction has been able to remain in power, however any ruling faction is
vulnerable to loose power if it looses public support. So public opinion will have a
stronger role in policy-making in the future as well. Japanese politicians will have to
appease factions and the need of the public in their foreign policy making. With the
current admission by North Korea that it has abducted Japanese citizens has resulted in
a back-lash of public opinion. Public opinion about North Korea is currently very
negative, that it is unlikely that normalization of relations will be achieved any time soon.
On the other hand, leading politicians argued that Japan should use the negative public
opinion in Japan as a tool in its negotiations with North Korea; it gives it the power to set
certain conditions for negotiations and to press North Korea to accept them.
10
What has come to be apparent is that in understanding the changing approaches by
Japan towards North Korea realist theory is insufficient and other factors, mainly
domestic factors as well as domestic changes need to be incorporated into the analysis
in order to achieve a better understanding.
10
Okazaki/ Nakasone “Negotiate Patiently with North Korea”, Japan Echo February 2003, p.15
Convention