Japan’s PM Fumio Kishida offers to meet North Korea’s Kim Jong-un even as ‘nothing decided so far’
- Pyongyang’s state-run media quoted a statement by the Kim Jong-un’s sister who called on Tokyo to make a ‘decision’ on improving bilateral ties
- Kishida said in parliament his government has lobbied for a possible summit meeting with the North Korean leader
Kim Yo-jong said in a statement carried by the official Korean Central News Agency that Kishida recently proposed an in-person summit to meet with her brother “as soon as possible” through “another channel”, referring to one other than those that have been used for bilateral communication.
Kishida said in parliament on Monday his government has lobbied for a possible summit meeting with the North Korean leader. He stressed the importance of summit talks to secure the return of Japanese nationals abducted by Pyongyang in the 1970s and 1980s.
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Later in the day, Kishida told reporters at his office that he is aware of the report, but that “nothing has been decided so far on whether a [Japan-North Korea] summit will be realised”.
Kim Yo-jong, a senior official in North Korea’s ruling Workers’ Party of Korea, said in February a visit by Kishida to Pyongyang is possible if Tokyo does not make the issue of past abductions of Japanese nationals an obstacle between the two countries, according to KCNA.
In Monday’s statement, she said the important thing in creating an opening for improved bilateral relations is “for Japan to make its political decision in actuality”, KCNA said, urging Tokyo to change its stance on the abduction issue.
Pyongyang claims the issue has already been settled, but Tokyo, which officially lists a total of 17 Japanese nationals as abductees, rejects the assertion. Chief cabinet secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi, Japan’s top government spokesman, reiterated Monday that the claim was “totally unacceptable”.
But the spokesman declined to provide details, citing the possible negative impact on negotiations with North Korea going forward.
Kim Yo-jong said as long as Japan remains “engrossed in the abduction issue that has no further settlement”, Kishida will face criticism that his proposal for summit talks with Kim Jong-un is just “a bid for popularity”, according to KCNA.
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Furthermore, Pyongyang will regard Tokyo as its “enemy, never a friend” if Japan “infringes upon the sovereignty” of North Korea and stands “hostile” to the neighbouring country, she added, calling for “a political decision for strategic option conformed to its overall interests”, the report said.
Kim’s sister said North Korea’s strengthened self-defence capabilities will “never be a threat to the security of Japan”, as long as Tokyo respects Pyongyang’s sovereignty and security interests in a “fair and equal” way.
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In 2002, five abductees were returned to Japan after then-Japanese prime minister Junichiro Koizumi met with North Korea’s leader at the time, Kim Jong-il, in Pyongyang, in the first-ever summit between the two countries.
Koizumi also received North Korea’s first formal apology for the abductions. Tokyo suspects Pyongyang’s involvement in many more disappearances than the official figure of 17, and that abductees were kidnapped by the country to teach Japanese language and culture to its spies or to steal their identities so they could be used by agents for espionage.
In May last year, Kishida made a sudden commitment to establishing high-level bilateral negotiations to pave the way for an early summit, although he has not provided details on what kind of official talks he envisions.
Some critics have speculated that the move was aimed at bolstering his cabinet’s support rate, which has fallen to a record-low level.
