Kim Jong Un’s powerful sister said that Japan’s Prime Minister, Fumio Kishida, wants to meet with her brother, but a meeting is unlikely unless Japan changes its policies. Japan and North Korea have a history of problems, including a dispute over Japanese citizens kidnapped by North Korea in the past. However, Kishida has recently shown interest in improving relations, even offering to meet Kim Jong Un without any conditions.
Kim Yo Jong, who speaks for the North Korean regime, mentioned last month that Japan’s leader might be invited to North Korea. But she also said that without Japan changing its stance on certain issues, like the kidnapping problem, better relations won’t happen.
Kishida didn’t directly respond to Kim’s statement but emphasized the importance of high-level talks with North Korea to resolve issues, especially the abduction problem from the past.
The kidnapping issue dates back to the 1970s and ’80s when North Korean agents abducted Japanese citizens. Although North Korea admitted to some of these kidnappings, Japan believes there are more victims. This issue is very emotional for Japan and could block progress in talks between Kishida and Kim Jong Un.
North Korea’s statement seems like an attempt to set conditions for any future summit between the leaders of both countries. They want to make sure both sides agree on what needs to happen for the meeting to be successful.
In the past, Japan’s former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi visited Pyongyang in 2002, meeting Kim’s father and starting a process to improve relations. However, the effort fell apart because Japan wasn’t satisfied with North Korea’s response about the kidnapped citizens.
Kim Yo Jong stressed that Kishida shouldn’t assume he can meet North Korea’s leadership whenever he wants. She suggested that if Japan truly wants better relations and regional peace, it needs to make strategic decisions that align with its interests.