North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's sister said Tuesday that Pyongyang would reject “any contact or negotiations” with Japan, just a day after she said Tokyo Prime Minister Fumio Kishida had requested a summit with her brother.
Relations between the two countries have been historically tense, including long-standing disputes over kidnappings and North Korea's illicit weapons program, but Kishida has recently expressed his desire to improve relations, which Pyongyang says is not opposed.
Last year, Kishida said he was willing to meet Kim “without any conditions”, and said Tokyo was willing to resolve all issues, including the kidnapping of Japanese citizens by North Korean agents in the 1970s and 1980s, which remains an emotional issue in Japan.
Kim Yo Jong, one of the regime's top spokespeople, said on Monday that Kishida had requested a summit with the Pyongyang leader, adding that such a meeting would be impossible without a change in policy by Tokyo.
But on Tuesday, citing Tokyo's lack of “courage” regarding “new” North Korea-Japan relations, including its stance on the issue of kidnappings and North Korea's military program, Kim Yo Jong said Pyongyang would reject any contact with Japan.
“Our government once again clearly understands Japan's stance, and the conclusion is that we will ignore and reject any contact or negotiations with the Japanese side,” he said, according to state news agency KCNA.
“The North Korea-Japan summit is of no interest to us,” he added.
Kishida said on Monday he was not aware of the KCNA report in advance, and did not directly comment on its contents, while calling high-level talks with North Korea “important”.
“For Japan-North Korea relations, high-level negotiations are important to resolve issues such as the kidnapping issue,” Kishida said in parliament, referring to kidnappings that occurred in the 1970s and 80s.
Kim Yo Jong has previously warned that if Japan continues to “talk about the abduction issue with no further resolution” then Kishida's hopes of improving relations will not be realized.
North Korea admitted in 2002 that it had sent agents to kidnap 13 Japanese people in the 1970s and 1980s to train spies in Japanese language and customs. (ab/lt)