N. Korea-Japan summit must help resolve abduction issue: Abe

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said any summit he holds with North Korea's Kim Jong Un must tackle abducted citizens, an issue that has bedevilled relations between the two countries for decades.

North Korea kidnapped scores of Japanese citizens in the 1970s and 1980s to help Pyongyang train its spies, a sore point that Tokyo says has never been adequately addressed.

"In the end, I have to meet Chairman Kim Jong Un," Abe told the Sankei Shimbun daily in an interview published on Sunday, adding he wished to "break mutual distrust" between the two countries.

But he added: "As long as we hold a meeting, the meeting must contribute to the resolution of the abduction issue".

Tokyo and Pyongyang have long had tense relations, from historical grievances of Japan's wartime brutalities on the Korean peninsula to Pyongyang's regular sabre rattling, including recent missile tests last year that sent rockets heading towards Japan.

Recent months have seen a remarkable diplomatic detente on the Korean peninsula with Kim holding summits with both US President Donald Trump and South Korea's leader Moon Jae-in.

Tokyo fears being shut out of negotiations on North Korea, which have proceeded at a breakneck pace in recent months with Japan largely on the sidelines.

During historic talks with Trump in Singapore, Kim reportedly said he was open to a meeting with Abe.

Trump promised to work to help bring abductees home from North Korea.

In the interview, Abe also said Japan-China relations have gotten back "on the completely right track".

"I'm looking forward to visiting China and then want to invite President Xi Jinping to Japan," he said.

The world's second- and third-largest economies also have a fraught relationship, complicated by longstanding maritime disputes and Japan's wartime legacy.

Related Links
Learn about nuclear weapons doctrine and defense at SpaceWar.com
Learn about missile defense at SpaceWar.com
All about missiles at SpaceWar.com
Learn about the Superpowers of the 21st Century at SpaceWar.com

Tweet

Thanks for being there;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.

SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5+ Billed Monthly

paypal only

SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once

credit card or paypal

Trump says China making things 'much more difficult' with N. Korea
Washington (AFP) Aug 29, 2018
US President Donald Trump on Wednesday accused China of complicating Washington's relationship with North Korea by rendering its ally economic assistance, as talks on Pyongyang's denuclearization are at a standstill. But he insisted his relationship with Kim Jong Un remained "very good" and said he was not considering resuming joint military exercises on the Korean Peninsula that Pyongyang considers "provocative." Trump's refusal to direct criticism at Kim and instead blame other parties for a l ... read more