Russian and Japanese Foreign Ministries to Discuss the "North Korean Issue"

The head of Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau of Japan's Foreign Ministry and the Russian Deputy Foreign Minister are going to hold their first meeting on a wide range of issues, concerning North Korea.

MOSCOW, January 22 (Sputnik) — Head of Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau of Japan's Foreign Ministry Junichi Ihara is to discuss a whole range of problems, regarding North Korea with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov, a source in Japan's Foreign Ministry told RIA Novosti Thursday.

"The whole range of problems, regarding North Korea, will be discussed. It will really be a talk about everything, about all existing problems. As far as I know, it is the first meeting of Morgulov and Ihara, and they will exchange opinions on all matters," the source told RIA Novosti.

According to a statement issued by Japan's Foreign Ministry earlier Thursday, Ihara will visit Moscow on January 22-23 to discuss the "North Korea issue" with Morgulov and other officials.

Local media reported earlier that Japanese, South Korean and US delegates are to meet in Tokyo next Wednesday to discuss the resumption on six-party talks on North Korean nuclear issue, involving Russia and China.

The six-party talks, comprising Russia, North Korea, South Korea, the United States, Japan and China first commenced in 2003, when Pyongyang withdrew from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. In 2005, North Korea declared itself a nuclear power and conducted a series of nuclear weapon tests in 2006, 2009 and 2013.