The Trump administration and its allies are trying to apply maximum pressure on North Korea so that it will accept diplomatic talks predicated on its eventual denuclearization. It has been over a decade since such active hard and soft diplomatic measures have been applied to this policy challenge, even as regional circumstances have changed dramatically.
Two veteran diplomats deeply involved with the last set of intense negotiations with North Korea discussed their experiences and considered options in light of today’s dynamics, and were joined by both U.S. and Japanese experts. Carnegie’s Jim Schoff moderated.
This event was cosponsored by the U.S.-Japan Research Institute.
Christopher Hill
Christopher Hill is dean of the Josef Korbel School of International Studies at The University of Denver. A four-time ambassador, he served as assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs from 2005 until 2009, during which he headed the U.S. delegation to the Six-Party Talks on the North Korean nuclear issue.
Mitoji Yabunaka
Mitoji Yabunaka is a professor at both Ritsumeikan University and Osaka University. His fourty-year diplomatic career culminated as vice-minister for foreign affairs, following time as the director-general of the Asian and Oceanic Affairs Bureau, and serving as the chief Japanese representative the Six-Party Talks.
Keiji Nakatsuji
Keiji Nakatsuji is a professor of international relations at Ritsumeikan University, where his research focuses heavily on East Asia. He was dean of Ritsumeikan’s Graduate School of International Relations from 2014 to 2016.
Douglas H. Paal
Douglas H. Paal is vice president for studies at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. He previously served as vice chairman of JPMorgan Chase International and as unofficial U.S. representative to Taiwan as director of the American Institute in Taiwan.
James L. Schoff
James L. Schoff is a senior fellow in the Carnegie Asia Program. His research focuses on U.S.-Japan relations and regional engagement, Japanese politics and security, and the private sector’s role in Japanese policymaking.
