The government is considering holding a summit meeting between Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, according to sources.
Such a summit would be aimed at trying to comprehensively solve North Korean issues, including North Korea's abduction of Japanese nationals, in line with the meetings between South Korea and North Korea, and between the United States and North Korea, that are scheduled to be held by the end of May, the sources said.
The government intends to begin practical coordination about the meeting after carefully examining what kinds of achievements can be obtained through the meeting.
"We'll examine how to deal with the summit meeting with Pyongyang in terms of what can be most effective for resolving in a comprehensive manner such issues as nuclear [weapons], missiles and abductions," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said at a press conference Wednesday morning.
Concern that talks between South Korea and North Korea, and between the United States and North Korea, could progress without Japan's engagement spurred the government's plans for the summit meeting.
If the Japan-North Korea summit meeting is realized, it will be the first such encounter since May 2004, when then Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi visited Pyongyang and met with the then leader, Kim Jong Il.
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