Peace in Northeast Asia cannot be secured until the Cold War mentality that grips the Korean Peninsula permanently disappears. But there is cause for hope, due to the Perry Process by former U.S. Secretary of Defense William Perry, U.S. North Korea policy coordinator and special adviser to the president and secretary of state, to block the suspected nuclear weapons and missiles development program of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea).

　The Perry Process was based on policy coordination between Japan, the United States and the Republic of Korea (South Korea), and consultation with China and took into account the views of North Korea. It urges Japan to take steps to normalize its relations with North Korea.

　There is no doubt that the North Korean leadership harbors a sense of crisis in maintaining its unique political system, one that isolates it from the rest of the world while the country languishes in economic failure. The state-run media in Pyongyang repeatedly makes hysterical accusations about "maneuvers to wipe out socialism.''

　The suspected nuclear weapons and missile development programs and North Korea's "fright'' can be interpreted as two sides of the same coin. North Korea will probably claim that those programs are for self-defense.

　Perry's report offers a prescription for Japan, the United States and South Korea to dispel North Korea's distrust with a reciprocal and step-by-step approach aimed at getting Pyongyang to abandon the development of nuclear weapons and missiles. The idea is to create an environment in which North Korea can feel secure and not need such an arsenal. Instead of pushing North Korea to the wall and driving it to take dangerous actions, Perry's report advocates a long-range policy that just might be the shortcut that gets Pyongyang to join the community of nations.

　But if North Korea fires another Taepodong missile, it could block the path to peace, thereby leaving Pyongyang still a threat, and move the United States to contain North Korea.

　North Korea must take this point to heart.

　As North Korea says, its missile development is essentially "a matter of sovereignty.'' But if all countries make the same claim and develop missiles and nuclear weapons, what will be the outcome? North Korea should steer itself toward the path to peace.

　As for Japan, it must recognize how unnatural it is for two countries that are separated only by a narrow strip of water to have no diplomatic relations and do everything it can to resolve the situation. In doing so, it should take into consideration South Korean President Kim Dae Jung's policy toward North Korea on which the Perry report is based.

　President Kim's "sunshine policy'' toward North Korea is aimed at peaceful coexistence of the two Koreas. For that, South Korea believes that it is important that the United States and Japan improve and maintain stable relations with North Korea. South Korea established diplomatic ties with the former Soviet Union and China−both its former foes. It views relations between North Korea, Japan and the United States in the same way and regards the normalization of diplomatic relations as indispensable to ending the Cold War on the Korean Peninsula.

　The Perry report clearly showed the direction toward normalization of U.S.-North Korean relations. President Kim is asking for the improvement of relations between Japan and North Korea. China also welcomes the trend. 　At the same time, to avert North Korea's nuclear weapons development, the Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organization, backed by Japan, the United States, South Korea and the European Union, is providing the North with a light-water reactor. Also from the viewpoint of promoting international cooperation, Japan is expected to normalize its relations with North Korea.

　The mutual distrust that accumulated in the last half century opened a wide gap between the two. How much accurate knowledge do the two peoples have of each other? Japan has deployed high-tech defense weapons under the "nuclear umbrella'' provided by the Japan-U.S. alliance and has launched H2 rockets. Did Japan really pay attention to how North Korea views such behavior by a neighbor?

　Japan is much more affluent than North Korea, which struggles to feed its people. As such, it is more reasonable for Japan to make the first move. Food aid should be an effective means of getting the North to open up. It could also lead to mutual concessions. It is also a realistic approach to start normalization talks first and then move on to resolving suspected kidnappings of Japanese nationals by North Korean agents.

　Normalization of Japan-North Korea relations would also provide an opportunity for Japan to settle its history of colonial rule. Japan must not forget that its neighbors are watching carefully how it will atone for its past.

U.S.-North Korea Agreed Framework
　Signed in October 1994 to prevent North Korea from developing nuclear weapons. North Korea froze its nuclear reactor project and accepted nuclear inspection under the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty. In exchange, the United States arranged to provide a light-water reactor and supplied 500,000 tons of heavy oil a year to support its energy demand in the meantime. The United States promised not to threaten North Korea with nuclear weapons and North Korea took steps to denuclearize. The Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organization was inaugurated to build a light-water reactor.

Perry Process
　A report made by former U.S. Secretary of Defense William Perry at the request of President Bill Clinton on the revision of U.S. policy toward North Korea. The report, submitted to the president in September, also made reference to North Korea's suspected nuclear weapons program and missile development. As a first path, it advocated that North Korea stop its suspected nuclear weapons and missiles program. In exchange, the United States would move toward normalizing diplomatic relations and lifting sanctions and Japan-North Korean relations would then improve. In case negotiations reach a deadlock, the report states that the situation would advance to the second path: containing the North Korean threat.