"I should meet with Chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea Kim Jong Un myself, hold a dialogue with him and solve the problems of nuclear and missile weapons, the issue of abducted people, and build new Japanese-North Korean relations," Abe said at a press conference, dedicated to the 73rd anniversary of atomic bombings of Japan's Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the United States.
31 July 2018, 16:23 GMT
The situation on the Korean Peninsula has significantly improved over the last months, with Kim having held several rounds of talks with his South Korean counterpart Moon Jae-in and a summit with US President Trump in Singapore. During the June 12 summit, Kim and Trump reached an agreement that required Pyongyang to denuclearize in exchange for a freeze on the US-South Korean military drills and eventual sanctions relief.
A number of Japanese citizens were abducted by North Korean agents during a six-year period from 1983 to 1997. The issue of the kidnapped Japanese citizens remains unresolved today and continues to be a key roadblock in bilateral relations between Tokyo and Pyongyang.
