Abe willing to meet Kim Jong Un, vows to enhance ties with China
Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe vowed Monday to "break the shell of mutual distrust" with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), by meeting leader Kim Jong Un face-to-face and restoring diplomatic relations between the two countries.
In a major policy speech to mark the opening of parliament, Abe also vowed to push Sino-Japan ties "to a new stage" and pledged a record budget to improve crumbling infrastructure in the world's third-biggest economy.
Japan's Emperor Akihito delivers a speech at the opening ceremony of the extraordinary Diet session in Tokyo, January 28, 2019. /VCG Photo
"I will act resolutely, never failing to seize every opportunity to break the shell of mutual distrust, and I myself will directly face Chairman Kim Jong Un next to resolve North Korea (DPRK)'s nuclear and missile issues, as well as the abductions issue," the prime minister said.
Abe gave no timeframe for a potential meeting with the DPRK leader but the comments came as Kim has ordered preparation for a second summit with U.S. President Donald Trump, likely towards the end of next month.
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U.S. President Donald Trump (R) meets with DPRK leader Kim Jong Un at the start of their summit in Singapore, June 12, 2018. /VCG Photo
"I will aim at diplomatic normalization by settling the unfortunate past," Abe said, using a Japanese diplomatic euphemism referring to harm caused by Japan during its brutal colonization of the Korean peninsula before and during World War II.
The conciliatory message contrasted sharply from a year ago, when Abe used the same parliamentary address to set out a hardline approach, pledging to "compel North Korea (DPRK) to change its policies" and describing Pyongyang's nuclear and missile programs as an "unprecedentedly grave and urgent threat."
Abe has long campaigned to resolve an emotional row related to claimed DPRK agents' abduction of Japanese nationals during the Cold War era to train Pyongyang's spies. Pyongyang released what it said were the five survivors in 2002, and said eight others it admitted kidnapping had all died.
Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) meets with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Beijing, October 26, 2018. /Xinhua Photo
On China, Abe said ties had "completely returned to a normal path" after he visited Beijing last October, five months after Chinese Premier Li Keqiang's tour to Japan.
"I will strongly pursue diplomacy with neighbors for a new era... in order to make northeast Asia truly a land of stable peace and prosperity," he said.
Last year marked the 40th anniversary of the signing of the China-Japan Treaty of Peace and Friendship. Bilateral ties have improved after several years of tensions due to disputes over the Diaoyu Islands and other issues relating to history.