Swedish Prime Minister Göran Persson, who became the first major European leader to establish contact with the recluse North Korean regime three years earlier, undertook a visit to East Asia in March to Japan, South Korea and Mongolia.

Sweden has been a member of the Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission to monitor the armistice between the two Koreas since 1953 and has established official diplomatic relations with Pyongyang. The visit also marked the 45th anniversary of relations with Seoul.

According to official press communiqués from Swedish and host sources his talks did involve discussions of the North Korean situation with the Japanese Prime Minister and the South Korean Minister of Unification. But the only hard information surfacing on this issue in connection with the visit stated that the Japanese Prime Minister had requested Persson to transmit the message to Pyongyang to enter into the international community. There were also discussions between the Swedish and Japanese leaders of the political and economic reconstruction of Iraq.

These contacts included meeting with Prime Minister Jonichiro Koizumi in Tokyo, President Roh Moo-hyun and former President Kim Dae Jung in Korea and Prime Minister Nambaryn Enkhbayar, as we as meetings with Ministers, political officials, members of the business community and lectures. The Democratic Party of Japan also issued a declaration noting that Persson had met with DPJ president Naoto Kan and reportedly exchanged opinions on pensions policy and its links to economic growth and well as the desire to establish closer relations with the opposition party in Japan.

Although considerable attention in South Korea undoubtedly centered on relations with North Korea, much of the focus of Persson’s activities in both Korea and Japan dealt with bilateral economic relations. He met with Swedish and host country business leaders. In Tokyo he also opened a seminar on biotechnology cooperation and investment at the Swedish embassy and visited facilities of the giant Japanese telecommunications firm NTTDoCoMo and met with its president Dr Keiji Tachikawa.

In Japan his speech to the Yomiuri International Economic Society was circulated; It dealt with ensuring economic in a welfare state. In describing the traditional Swedish model, he noted that it had acquired legitimacy by effectively promoting economic prosperity as well as equality. But he noted the pressure facing both Japan and Sweden for an ageing population. He explained recent reforms in the Swedish pension system designed to assure equitable retirement pay. He also argued that such practices as well as gender equality actually improve economic conditions.

He also underlined the services of Swedish enterprises that provide care and equipment for the elderly and projects between Sweden and Japan in the same field.