▲ Shaking hands with Koizumi and Kim Jong Il at the Japan and North Korea summit talks ⓒ Yonhap News

Recently, a Japanese press discovered and revealed a diary written by former Prime Minister Koizumi Junichio’s Secretary, Isao Iijima which read “records of Koizumi’s foreign affairs” and unveil undisclosed information about the normalization of North Korea-Japan talks.

Regarding former Prime Minister Koizumi’s visit to North Korea in September 2002, former Secretary Isao wrote, “The news that 8 of the abductees have died is startling came as a shock.”

In addition, “There were some inconsistencies as data from the North was passed from the North Korean Red Cross to the Japanese Red Cross, unlike the regular governmental system” said former Secretary Isao and commented, “I didn’t even think that the North would give it to a prime ministerial party member. I’m not sure whether it was planned or not.”

He wrote about Prime Minister Koizumi’s reluctance to eat breakfast and lunch due to “strong feelings of pressure.” He also wrote anecdotes about former Prime Minister’s description of shaking hands with Kim Jong Il, “his hands felt coarse like sandpaper.”

Another former Secretary Isamu deemed the Koizumi Administration’s return of abductees policy effective, “The only reason 5 abductees were released was because of the Prime Minster’s direct involvement.”

In relation to Prime Minister Koizumi’s foreign affairs, he stressed, “Prime Minister Koizumi’s normal foreign relations was focused on a relationship with President Bush. Nonetheless, his underlying heart was behind safe relations with nations in the Asia region.”

Furthermore, in nearly every talks attended by former Prime Minister Koizumi, the significance and importance of the abductees issue was emphasized.

During his prime ministerial term of 5 years and 5 months, former Prime Minister Koizumi visited 49 nations a total of 51 different occasions, of which he visited Pyongyang on two occasions, 2002 and 2004, to discuss matters with Kim Jong Il.