Abe Vows to Build New Japan-N. Korea Relations

August 6, 2018

Hiroshima- Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Monday reiterated his determination to hold a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to build new bilateral relations.

"In the end, I must hold dialogue with Kim and resolve the issues of nuclear, missile and, most importantly, North Korea's abductions of Japanese nationals, in order to build a new bilateral relationship," Abe told a news conference.

He made the remark after referring to a brief conversation between the Japanese and North Korean foreign ministers in Singapore on Friday.

Japan hopes that North Korea's complete denuclearization agreed at a U.S.-North Korea summit in June "will be implemented completely and promptly," Abe said in Hiroshima, where he attended a memorial ceremony to mark the 73rd anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombing of the western Japan city in the closing days of World War II.

"Japan needs to take the initiative to resolve the nuclear, missile and abduction issues through cooperation with the international community," he added.

Foreign Minister Taro Kono had brief talks with his North Korean counterpart, Ri Yong Ho, in Singapore on Friday during a banquet for foreign ministers visiting the Southeast Asian country to attend regional meetings.

It was the first contact between Japanese and North Korean ministers since U.S. President Donald Trump and Kim held their summit in Singapore on June 12.

On the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's upcoming presidential election, Abe said he will spend time thinking about the matter from now.

He added that he is feeling the weight of the LDP's responsibility for diplomacy and national security.

There is no change in the government's policy of not joining the U.N. treaty to ban nuclear weapons, which has been signed by many nonnuclear countries, Abe said.

"The participation by nuclear countries is indispensable for truly realizing a world without nuclear arms," he explained. Jiji Press