Trump-Kim Summit to Become Step Toward Firm Peace in Region - Tokyo

TOKYO (Sputnik) - The Japanese government hopes that the summit between North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump in Singapore will become a big step toward the establishment of peace and stability in Northeast Asia, Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said on Tuesday.

"We hope that this historic meeting will become a significant step toward the building of peace and stability in Northeast Asia. We intend to promote [this process]," Suga said.

The Japanese official also expressed hope that the summit in Singapore would contribute to resolving the problems surrounding the North Korean missile and nuclear programs and would permit progress on the issue of Pyongyang's abductions of Japanese citizens.

The summit between Kim and Trump is currently being held in Singapore. The meeting is taking place at the Capella hotel located on Sentosa Island.

The discussions between the two delegations are expected to touch upon issues relating to the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, the guarantees of peace and normalization of US-North Korean relations.

Last week, Trump expressed hope for the improvement of relations with Pyongyang following the summit and did not rule out the signing of a peace treaty between the two countries. At the same time Trump stressed that Washington would not accept Pyongyang's refusal to denuclearize.