Chief Cabinet Secretary: “We will discuss directly with the Prime Minister”
Kishida cannot rule out the possibility of behind-the-scenes contact.
Demand for cautious approach amid US “support for diplomatic relations”
“We are paying attention to the statement released by North Korea.” (Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi)
“It is supportable for allies to engage diplomatically with North Korea.” (Mira Raphooper, senior adviser to the National Security Council at the White House)
On the 15th, when North Korea’s Workers’ Party Vice Minister Kim Yo-jong announced a statement saying, “We can open a new future with Japan,” the United States and Japan gave a principled yet cautious response.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi, a spokesperson for the Japanese government, said at a regular press conference on the 16th, “We are paying attention to Vice Minister Kim’s statement.” He expressed his intention to respond calmly by using the expression “pay attention,” which means “watch carefully.”
Regarding the promotion of a summit between North Korea’s State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong-un and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, “Prime Minister Kishida has stated that he will hold high-level discussions under the direct control of the Prime Minister to make the summit a reality,” and “We will make efforts through various channels.” “There is,” he explained.
In a statement the previous day, Vice Minister Kim said, “My view is that if (Japan) makes a political decision, we can open a new future together.” However, he added the following proviso: “If we shake off the evil habit of unfairly relying on our right to self-defense and do not place the resolved kidnapping issue as an obstacle to the prospects for relations between the two countries.”
Minister Hayashi said this was “unacceptable” and emphasized, “Japan remains unchanged in its policy of comprehensively resolving pending issues based on the North Korea-Japan Pyongyang Declaration.” The North Korea-Japan Pyongyang Declaration, signed by former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi during his visit to North Korea in 2002, includes measures to resolve nuclear and missile issues through dialogue and prevent a recurrence of the issue of Japanese abductees by North Korea.
Although Japan has drawn a line, the possibility of a summit being achieved through behind-the-scenes contact cannot be ruled out. This is because Prime Minister Kishida, who is experiencing a decline in approval ratings, may try to use diplomatic achievements with North Korea as a breakthrough.
The United States supported the North Korea-Japan summit but called for a cautious approach. Mira Raphooper, senior adviser for East Asia and Oceania at the White House National Security Council (NSC), said at a forum on the 15th (local time), “North Korea’s diplomatic engagement with allies is something to support,” but added, “It appears to be a reaction to other news.” did. The interpretation is that the North Korea-Japan summit may have been triggered by the sudden establishment of diplomatic ties between Korea and Cuba.
Jeong Park, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs and Special Representative for North Korea, also told Reuters on this day, “North Korea’s diplomacy is positive as long as it is not with Russia, but North Korea is always interested in causing a rift in the relationship between South Korea and other countries.” Our government also predicted that it would be difficult for a North Korea-Japan summit to materialize immediately. A senior official in the Presidential Office said, “There are many issues that need to be resolved for a summit to take place.”
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Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.