Japan, DPRK Top Diplomats May Discuss Abe-Kim Summit at ASEAN Margins – Reports

TOKYO (Sputnik) - Japan’s Foreign Minister Taro Kono is looking at a possible meeting with North Korean top diplomat Ri Yong-ho, which could lead to a summit between the two nations, Japanese media said.

Kono and Ri may meet in Singapore between July 30 and August 4 at the fringe of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)’s gathering of foreign ministers, diplomatic sources told the Yomiuri newspaper.

The publication said Japan intended to raise the summit between Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and the North’s leader Kim Jong-un if the diplomats meet.

Earlier this week, Japanese media reported that a summit between Abe and Kim could take place in September on the sidelines of the Eastern Economic Forum in Russia's port city of Vladivostok.

However hours later, Taro Kono said that Japan is not looking into opportunities for direct talks with North Korea, noting that contacts between Tokyo and Pyongyang are being made over various channels.