On Saturday the US removed North Korea from its list of state sponsors of terrorism. While Western media highlighted that the announcement was meant to “break a two-month deadlock in the six party talks,” Japanese media is far from pleased with the development. Japanese press expressed particular concern over Japan’s being left in the dark about the timing of the announcement despite the country’s position as an ally of the US. In short, it looks they’re crying betrayal.

Some press say the move is an attempt by the outgoing Bush administration to bolster its foreign policy image before it leaves office in January. For example, the LA Times wrote:

The administration’s position marks a 180-degree turn for a team that came to office in 2001 contending that the Clinton administration had been too lenient in its six-year effort to trade North Korea’s nuclear ambitions for economic and political benefits. Now, the Bush administration counts its denuclearization program as one of its most important achievements.

Will the delisting be good or bad for the denuclearization progress in the long run? I suppose only time will tell, but I certainly hope that there was more reason behind the timing of the decision than simply an outgoing administration trying to tie up loose ends.