Japanese PM says he should be next to meet with Kim Jong-un
- 5 years ago
日아베 "다음엔 北김정은 내가 만나야"... 北 단계적 비핵화 용인론 나와
Last year, Japan was urging pressure on North Korea... but now Tokyo has changed its stance.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is calling for a summit with leader Kim Jong-un.
And according to local media, Japanese diplomats believe Pyeongyang's denuclearization will not be a brisk process.
Oh Jung-hee sheds light on these developments.
After President Trump meets with Kim Jong-un,... the Japanese Prime Minister says... it'll be his turn.
At a meeting in parliament on Tuesday, Shinzo Abe said... situations surrounding North Korea have been changing dramatically since the Singapore summit... and that he thinks it's important that he be next to meet the North Korean leader face to face.
Prime Minister Abe said he would try to break through the mutual distrust... and work to resolve the nuclear and missile issues as well as the North's abductions of Japanese citizens in the 1970s and 80s.
It appears the Abe administration's tone towards North Korea has softened a great deal compared to last year,... and the Japanese media are taking note of that.
Last year, around the first Kim-Trump summit, Abe stressed "pressuring" the North into "complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearization."
But in his annual policy speech to parliament earlier this year, the Prime Minister never mentioned "pressuring" the North.
Instead, he said he'll work closely with the U.S. and South Korea... and aim to ultimately normalize diplomatic ties with Pyeongyang.
According to the Tokyo Shimbun, senior Japanese diplomats have recently said... North Korea's denuclearization cannot be done all at once.
Watchers believe... that the change in tone comes amid criticism of Tokyo for allowing itself to be "bypassed" in recent developments surrounding the Korean Peninsula.
Japanese media are also saying Tokyo has backed off in terms of its demands,... considering America's willingness to move with the North in phases.
Oh Jung-hee, Arirang News.
Last year, Japan was urging pressure on North Korea... but now Tokyo has changed its stance.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is calling for a summit with leader Kim Jong-un.
And according to local media, Japanese diplomats believe Pyeongyang's denuclearization will not be a brisk process.
Oh Jung-hee sheds light on these developments.
After President Trump meets with Kim Jong-un,... the Japanese Prime Minister says... it'll be his turn.
At a meeting in parliament on Tuesday, Shinzo Abe said... situations surrounding North Korea have been changing dramatically since the Singapore summit... and that he thinks it's important that he be next to meet the North Korean leader face to face.
Prime Minister Abe said he would try to break through the mutual distrust... and work to resolve the nuclear and missile issues as well as the North's abductions of Japanese citizens in the 1970s and 80s.
It appears the Abe administration's tone towards North Korea has softened a great deal compared to last year,... and the Japanese media are taking note of that.
Last year, around the first Kim-Trump summit, Abe stressed "pressuring" the North into "complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearization."
But in his annual policy speech to parliament earlier this year, the Prime Minister never mentioned "pressuring" the North.
Instead, he said he'll work closely with the U.S. and South Korea... and aim to ultimately normalize diplomatic ties with Pyeongyang.
According to the Tokyo Shimbun, senior Japanese diplomats have recently said... North Korea's denuclearization cannot be done all at once.
Watchers believe... that the change in tone comes amid criticism of Tokyo for allowing itself to be "bypassed" in recent developments surrounding the Korean Peninsula.
Japanese media are also saying Tokyo has backed off in terms of its demands,... considering America's willingness to move with the North in phases.
Oh Jung-hee, Arirang News.