Nukes are not normal

BEFORE the nuclear news broke, Japan and North Korea seemed to be on the way to a reconciliation. Last month Junichiro Koizumi made a visit to Pyongyang, the first by a Japanese prime minister. While he was there, Kim Jong Il confessed that his regime had abducted many Japanese over the years, and that only five of them were still alive a quarter-century later. The two then signed a joint declaration in which Japan apologised for “the huge damage and sufferings” it had inflicted on Koreans during its colonial occupation, and which expressed the two governments' desire to work towards normal diplomatic relations. But last week, while they were preparing to hold talks (which will start in Kuala Lumpur on October 29th), the Japanese public learned of North Korea's latest nuclear shenanigans. As Mr Kim's team prepares to sit down with Japan's government, it should now expect 123m uninvited guests.