Japanese Prime Minister "Ready to Meet Kim Unconditionally to Address Abductee Issue" (Update)

[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] Yoshihide Suga, Prime Minister of Japan, reiterated his stance during his visit to the U.S. that he is prepared to meet North Korean State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong-un unconditionally to resolve the issue of abducted Japanese citizens.

On the 16th (local time), Prime Minister Suga said in a virtual speech at the U.S. think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), "I am ready to meet Chairman Kim Jong-un unconditionally to resolve the abductee issue and establish a productive North Korea-Japan relationship."

Prime Minister Suga had previously stated in January that he would closely monitor developments related to North Korea's participation in the Tokyo Olympics and utilize every opportunity to engage in unconditional dialogue with Chairman Kim. North Korea declared on the 6th that it would not participate in the Tokyo Olympics due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

North Korea has consistently maintained the position that there are no abducted Japanese citizens.

Regarding North Korea's ballistic missile test launches, Prime Minister Suga pointed out that they violated UN Security Council resolutions and emphasized the need to persistently pursue "CVID" (Complete, Verifiable, and Irreversible Dismantlement) of all weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missiles of all ranges possessed by North Korea. CVID is a term that North Korea rejects.

Prime Minister Suga stated, "Japan will firmly raise its voice on human rights issues in Myanmar, China's Xinjiang, and Hong Kong, and will cooperate with the international community to seek concrete measures."

He added, "Japan's basic policy regarding China-related matters is to firmly assert what must be asserted and strongly urge China to take concrete actions," and "efforts must also be made to build a stable and constructive relationship with China."