I wondered whether I should write about it, but I'm prepared to be thrown into a cauldron of simmering oil and try to describe it.
"We will pay North Korea 2 billion yen for the return of one abductee without any conditions attached."
I have looked to see if anyone is advocating such a solution, but at this time, I have not found one.
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One can cite any number of reasons why our government cannot take this step.
In a nutshell, this means that "our country will succumb to terrorism.
("Terrorism" makes it seem like there is a cause somewhere, so I would rather call this a "despicable and vicious nation.")
Such a solution (negotiations with a terrorist state) would seriously diminish the prestige of Japan as a nation governed by the rule of law.
Furthermore, it would mean providing military spending support to a nation that, in violation of UN resolutions, foolishly launches missiles that pass through the airspace of other nations without permission.
Reference: "K-kun's Story."
The worst-case scenario involves the abrogation of the Japan-U.S. Security Assurance Treaty and the collapse of the Japan-U.S.-South Korea military partnership.
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However, if you ask whether such cases have 'never happened before,' it is not so.
This is a typical case.
This time, I looked into it again and found out a lot.
(1) In 2003, the Democratic Party of Japan proposed the concept of a "Basic Law on Emergency Situations.
(2) since the "Basic Law on Emergency Situations" has not been passed, the current Japanese legal system lacks a clear legal basis for the government's discretionary authority in emergencies.
(3) From (1) and (2) above, government action in a state of emergency will depend on decisions and interpretations within the framework of existing laws and the Constitution.
Hmmm...I see. So, it seems the government is customarily authorized to enforce extra-legal measures, although it is not explicitly stated.
And so, I can say,
"If the government recognizes the abductions as a state of emergency, it is "logically possible" to "recover the North Korean abductees in exchange for ransom."
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I do not believe this solution is a good one.
It doesn't seem suitable for the Japanese people's national interest.
Besides, the possibility of North Korea agreeing to negotiations is entirely unknown.
Nevertheless, I think there should be at least one or two members of Congress who make these kinds of statements.
(A legislator may have made these statements if I did my research correctly. If you know of any, please let me know. Besides, I think the government (Cabinet Office or Ministry of Foreign Affairs) has probably already considered it.)
If we verbalize these stories, we, the people, will realize that 'the Diet is severe and has started to beat the government.
The only way I could think of to move the issue along was to 'send the whole country into flames once with a statement like this.
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I do not know how much the government is currently budgeting for the abduction issue.
So, in my way, I "turned the numbers around."
Assuming that every Japanese person will bear 10,000 yen for this issue at one time only, 125.7 billion people x 10,000 yen = 1.257 trillion yen.
1.257 trillion yen (1257 billion yen ÷ 2 billion yen) = 628.5 persons.
Currently, the number of North Korean abductees officially recognized by the Japanese government is 17.
Some private institutions have suggested that the number is 470.
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I am prepared to accept the criticism that "Ebata's proposal is too wild, straightforward, simplistic, and low.
However, most of the public, myself included, does not understand the difficulty and complexity of this issue.
I have a hard time watching the news by biting my tongue.
Then, how about starting from "here," even if it is "wild, straightforward, simple, and low"?