An essay examining the political use of the PyeongChang Olympics, criticizing calls for Japan’s prime minister to attend the opening ceremony.
It highlights North Korea’s strategic intentions and the realities of international politics.

Calls are emerging even within the ruling coalition urging Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to attend the Olympic opening ceremony.
This is out of the question.
2018-01-22
The following is from the Sankei Shimbun front-page column “Sankei-sho” of January 19.
This is precisely what a sound argument should be.
The baseball film KANO, which became a major hit in Taiwan four years ago, is based on a true story.
During the period of Japanese rule, Taiwan’s representative team participated in national tournaments held in Japan.
That said, most of the players who took part were Japanese.
However, Chiayi Agricultural and Forestry School, which first appeared at the Koshien middle-school baseball championship in 1931 as Taiwan’s representative, was different.
It was a mixed team composed of Japanese, Taiwanese, and indigenous Taiwanese players.
“Can they even communicate with each other.”
Despite being ridiculed by Japanese reporters, they continued their remarkable advance and finished as runners-up.
Regarding the PyeongChang Winter Olympics opening next month, South Korea and North Korea have agreed to form a joint women’s ice hockey team, in other words a mixed team.
President Moon Jae-in of South Korea has asked the players for cooperation, calling it “a historic moment.”
However, there is no way that a hastily assembled mixed team can perform well at the Olympics.
In world rankings, South Korea stands at 22nd and North Korea at 25th.
“They were never in medal contention to begin with.”
Prime Minister Lee Nak-yeon’s blunt remark provoked fierce public backlash.
There are also voices of sympathy for South Korean athletes who will lose their opportunity to compete.
At the opening ceremony, the two countries are also expected to march together behind the “unification flag.”
I have no intention of resorting to platitudes such as “keep politics out of the Olympics.”
If North Korea were to show a forward-looking stance toward denuclearization, one might acknowledge some meaning in its Olympic participation.
The possibility of that is zero.
It will merely be exploited for North Korea’s strategy of buying time for nuclear development and driving a wedge into the U.S.–South Korea alliance.
Pro-North factions in South Korea are no doubt fully aware of this.
The disappointment toward South Korea is not limited to the agreement over the comfort women issue.
If the prime minister were to involve himself in what may become a farcical festival of peace, it would play directly into North Korea’s hands.