International and Bilateral Issues:

After death of N. Korean leader, Japanese PM seeks Chinese cooperation

• Japanese PM Yoshihiko Noda wrapped up a trip to Beijing where he sought China’s cooperation in promoting stability in North Korea after the death of its longtime leader Kim Jong Il.

  • His visit to China was planned before Kim’s death
• Noda, the first foreign leader to meet with China’s leaders since Kim’s death, emphasized the need to get stalled six-party talks on North Korea’s nuclear weapons program back on track.

  • The six-party talks, which include the two Koreas, the United States and Russia, as well as China and Japan, are aimed at disarming North Korea of its nuclear capability. 
  • Pyongyang walked out on the talks in 2009 — and exploded a second nuclear-test device — but now wants to re-engage.
  • Last year, North Korea was blamed for two military attacks on South Korea that heightened tensions on the peninsula.
• Japan does not have diplomatic relations with North Korea, while China is the impoverished country’s most important supporter and supplies it with food aid and much of its energy resources.
• Noda and Wen noted that 2012 marks the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between their countries

  • Noda requested to China to lease pandas for a zoo to help cheer up the northern Japanese region as it recovers from the earthquake and tsunami disasters in March.
  • Officials from both countries also signed MoU on youth exchanges and setting up a clean energy and environmental protection investment fund.
• Japan and China have a list of sensitive topics they are trying to make progress on, including fights over islands and energy disputes in the East China Sea.

 Judiciary, Army should work within limits: Gilani

• Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Sunday said all state institutions, including the judiciary and the Army, should work within their constitutional limits as tensions continued between the Pakistan's civilian government and the powerful military over the Memogate row.
• Mr. Gilani questioned the Army's failure to detect bin Laden's presence in Pakistan.
• The 100th meeting of Mr. Gilani's Cabinet was held in Karachi to mark the birth anniversary of founder Muhammad Ali Jinnah.
• Parliamentary form of democracy was closest to the heart of the founder of the nation, Quaid-e-Azam, and he also didn't support the presidency form of governance