Is tightening the screws a form of torture? We certainly hope so. The Japanese are now wielding a new weapon in the fight against North Korea. Remittances from ethnic Koreans living in Japan have long been a source of money for Kim Jong Il’s government. Effective January 4, those transactions are now ended.This is an important measure, but it does nothing to make up for the hideous cruelty of a regime that kidnapped Japanese citizens to train its spies, and it cannot halt Kim’s nuclear ambition. It may be a luxury tax, and little more. And we need more. Still, we applaud our allies in this fight.