2023-06-21 11:25:00
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida holds a press conference at the Prime Minister’s Office in Tokyo on the 21st. AFP Yonhap News
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said he hopes to hold a North Korea-Japan summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to resolve the issue of Japanese abductees to North Korea.
Prime Minister Kishida held a press conference held at the Tokyo Prime Minister’s official residence on the occasion of the closing of the regular session of the Diet on the 21st, saying, “From the viewpoint of resolving the pending issues between Japan and North Korea, both sides open a new era together, I will not miss any opportunity and express my resolution to Chairman Kim Jong-un. “We will continue to communicate this to the Prime Minister and make an effort to hold high-level consultations under the direct control of the Prime Minister in order to realize the summit as early as possible.”
At the same time, he also said, “The abduction issue is a human rights issue that cannot be neglected even for a moment, and we will deal decisively to resolve the abduction issue.”
Regarding North Korea’s successive ballistic missile launches, he was concerned that “both the frequency and content are becoming significantly more serious.”
When asked if he planned to visit China and hold a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Prime Minister Kishida said, “Nothing has been decided regarding the visit to China,” but added, “We will communicate closely at all levels to establish a constructive and stable relationship with China. ”he said.
He announced that he would attend the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Summit to be held in Vilnius, Lithuania on the 11th and 12th of next month. Prime Minister Kishida added, “I will hold a summit meeting with the European Union in Belgium and also visit three countries in the Middle East, including Saudi Arabia.”
Previously, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg announced at a press conference held in Oslo, Norway on the 1st that the leaders of the four Asia-Pacific countries, including Korea, Japan, Australia and New Zealand, would also attend the NATO summit next month. The leaders of Korea and Japan also attended the NATO summit held in Spain in June last year as leaders of partner countries.
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