Japan offers North Korea summit, Pyongyang discussing meetings with Japan - Asahi

 

FILE PHOTO: The North Korea flag flutters next to concertina wire at the North Korean embassy in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia March 9, 2017. REUTERS/Edgar Su/File Photo

 

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan has sounded out the North Korean government about a bilateral summit, and Pyongyang has discussed the possibility of a leaders' meeting with Japan, Japan's Asahi newspaper said on Thursday.

 

The government of Kim Jong Un has informed leaders of North Korea's ruling Korean Workers Party of the possibility of a summit with Japan, the newspaper said, citing an unidentified North Korean source and briefing papers.

 

"The Japanese government has expressed a wish to host a leaders meeting, via the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan," or Chongryong, Pyongyang's de facto embassy in Japan, the Asahi quoted the briefing papers as saying.

 

A Japanese government source told Reuters in mid-March that Japan was considering seeking a summit between Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Kim to discuss Japanese citizens abducted by North Korean agents decades ago.

 

The Asahi said in an article from Seoul Kim's government had explained its bilateral diplomatic plans for South Korea, the United States, China, Japan and Russia, in that order.

 

Kim met President Xi Jinping in China this week, his first trip abroad as North Korean leader. Summits with South Korean President Moon Jae-in and U.S. President Donald Trump are being planned for April and May, respectively.

 

The North Korean briefing papers cite the possibility of a Japan summit in early June, the Asahi said.

 

Japan's Foreign Minister Taro Kono left open the possibility that Abe might meet Kim at some point. Kono said in an interview with Reuters on Tuesday Japan was closely watching preparations for the North-South Korean summit and the Trump-Kim meeting.

 

The Asahi quoted another unidentified source as saying North Korea's "dialogue partner on security issues is America" but that the country "can only hope for large-scale financial assistance from Japan".

 

North Korea hopes to get $20 billion to $50 billion in aid from Japan if it normalises relations, the newspaper said. But it said the briefing papers offered no specifics about steps to normalise bilateral relations, as agreed in 2002.

 

Those steps include resolving the abductee issue, as well as Pyongyang's missile and nuclear weapons development.

 

(Writing by William Mallard; Editing by Paul Tait)

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2018-03-29

Great move by Japan.

11 hours ago, webfact said:

North Korea hopes to get $20 billion to $50 billion in aid from Japan if it normalises relations

If Japan also allows its airspace to be used for North Korean missile shots, call it a deal!

God help us all if we are relying on dt to negotiate anything worthwhile.

Where will he have time to leaen his lines. He watches tv 8 hours a day.

Prize buffoon 

So North Korea will enter into more friendly relations if it gets money.  Where's the benefit to anyone but North Korea?

President Trump already put tariffs on China and a hold on trade deals with SK until he can meet with Kim to give them pause about jumping the gun on a deal. Looks like it might be time to put the squeeze on Abe's pair as well.

Edited April 1, 20188 yr by mrwebb8825

3 minutes ago, mrwebb8825 said:

President Trump already put tariffs on China and a hold on trade deals with SK until he can meet with Kim to give them pause about jumping the gun on a deal. Looks like it might be time to put the squeeze on Abe's pair as well.

Except that he's already exempted South Korea from the steel and aluminium tariffs and the trade deal, while not much, does work to the advantage of the USA. As for China, the squeeze can go both ways. Do you think Trump's pair is so tiny that the Chinese won't be able to find it?