Abe says Japan wants to normalize ties with DPRK

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Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe met the Republic of Korea (ROK) Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon on Tuesday on the sideline of the Eastern Economic Forum in Russia's far east city of Vladivostok, Yonhap reported.

Abe said he wants to improve and normalize Japan's relations with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) through direct talks with its leader Kim Jong-un, Yonhap cited officials from the South at the meeting.

But Abe stressed the normalization only comes after the DPRK comprehensively resolves the nuclear and missile threats and the past abductions of Japanese citizens.

Abe said he had agreed with US President Donald Trump on the position of the formulation of policy regarding DPRK's future, saying Pyongyang's future will be bright if it implements the right policy.

Abe praised Seoul's efforts in pushing for the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and its role in bridging between Washington and Pyongyang.

Lee echoed Abe saying the improvement of Japan-DPRK relations will contribute greatly to the peace of the peninsula.

He also said Seoul has talked to Pyongyang that it's necessary to resolve the abduction issue if it wants to improve ties with Japan.

ROK's President Moon Jae-in will meet Kim Jong Un for a third summit later this month.

Lee said the meeting is expected to produce meaningful progress in efforts to realize peace and denuclearization and should contribute to the resumption of talks between the US and the North.

(Top image: ROK's Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon shakes hands with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe during a meeting in Vladivostok, September 11, 2018. /Yonhap Photo)