TOKYO (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 13th June, 2023) Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Tuesday expressed his readiness to hold a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un "as soon as possible" to discuss issues between the countries and "open a new era" in bilateral relations.
"I do not want to miss any opportunity to express my willingness (to meet with Kim) to resolve existing issues between Japan and North Korea from the perspective of opening a new era for the two sides. As I will bring this to the attention of General Secretary (of the Workers' Party of Korea) Kim Jong Un, I intend to conduct consultations with high-ranking officials under my supervision to organize a summit as soon as possible," Kishida said.
One of the most pressing issues in the Japanese-North Korean relations is the alleged kidnapping of Japanese citizens by North Korean secret services. Tokyo has accused Pyongyang of kidnapping at least 17 Japanese citizens since the 1970s, while Pyongyang confirmed only 13 cases.
Five of those kidnapped were able to return to Japan following former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's visits to North Korea in 2002 and 2004. North Korea said eight more Japanese citizens had died, but Japan considers the evidence of their deaths to be false and demands the extradition of all its citizens. The remaining four people have never crossed the North Korean border, Pyongyang stated.
