* Japanese criticize NK`s nuclear test
(this article was published on Oct 10, 2006 at Ohmynews International)
Monday was supposed to be a fine day in Japan as the nation celebrated sports day. It was a public holiday and places such as shopping centers, entertainment facilities and parks were packed with people. Open-air music performances and festivals were in full swing in the crisp, fresh autumn breeze.
TV stations had prepared special programs on sports and their history, but suddenly the programs were interrupted by newsbreaks explaining that North Korea had successfully conducted its nuclear test that morning. Within an hour, the latest developments on the nuclear test appeared everywhere, on TV, radio and the Internet, on trains and in public spaces around Tokyo.
Reporters were dispatched on the streets to give voice to what people thought about the nuclear test.
"It is a big shock for me. In July, we were shocked by the missile tests, and now North Korea conducted a nuclear test. It is a frightening country," said a shopper in central Tokyo.
Irresponsible. Destabilizing. Frightening. People expressed similar concerns. It was not surprising that world leaders, from Prime Minister Tony Blair in the U.K. to President Pervez Musharraf in Pakistan, used similar words to condemn North Korea's nuclear test.
News broke of the nuclear test just minutes after Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe arrived in Seoul.
Later in the afternoon, having met with South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun, Abe gave a press conference at a hotel. He said the world was entering a new, more dangerous nuclear age. That if Pyongyang possesses nuclear weapons, the security balance in Northeast Asia will change drastically. That Japan was considering more sanctions against North Korea in response to the reported nuclear test.
About three hours after the news conference was held, people in the main stations around Tokyo received a four-page extra edition from Nikkei, one of Japan's leading newspaper.
"Extra, extra … Abe's response to North Korea nuclear test!" a young man distributing the papers shouted aloud in front of Shibuya Station, one of the busiest stations in Tokyo.
On the trains, people carefully read Abe's explanations and looked at the graphics of the underground channel under a mountain in North Korea, where the test was reportedly conducted. People rushed to pick up the papers and ended up with similar comments: condemning North Korea's latest move. It was not only a headline in the media, but also the topic of the day on the streets.
For many ordinary Japanese people, North Korean issues such as abductions and missile and nuclear programs are familiar enough. Despite a stereotypical judgment that says most Japanese people do not really care about politics and security issues, when it comes to North Korean issues, it is not difficult to find people on the streets who want to talk in detail.
"Really? North Korea has conducted a nuclear test this morning? Indeed it's a real threat for Japan … I think people feel less safe living in this region. Now, nuclear-free zone on the Korean Peninsula seems impossible," said a middle-aged woman in Tokyo Station.
Meanwhile, in an interview with NHK, the government-run television station, Shigeru Yokota, the head of a group of Japanese families whose relatives were abducted by North Korea, urged the Japanese government to put fresh sanctions on North Korea, not only because of the nuclear test, but also because of the lack of progress in resolving the abduction issue.
"It was a regrettable move," said Hiroshima atomic bomb survivors.
