Kishida makes 'high-level approaches' for a summit with North's Kim

Diplomacy

Published: 08 Apr. 2024, 15:40

Kishida makes 'high-level approaches' for a summit with North's Kim

Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida listens to a question from a journalist, during a press conference in Tokyo on March 28, 2024. [AP/YONHAP]

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said his government is making “high-level approaches” to Pyongyang for a summit between himself and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during an interview with U.S. media Sunday.

Kishida, who is set to visit the United States on Wednesday, discussed pertinent topics during an interview with CNN and said that he was pushing for the summit to resolve “outstanding issues” and promote stable relations between Japan and North Korea.

“Outstanding issues” mostly likely refers to North Korea abducting Japanese nationals and Pyongyang’s illegal nuclear and missile programs.

Kishida has repeatedly said that he would push for a summit with North Korea to resolve the abductees’ issue. However, Kim Jong-un’s sister Kim Yo-jong, deputy department director of the North's ruling Worker’s Party, and North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui both announced last month that they would not pursue a summit with Japan after Tokyo raised the abductee issue.

“Enhancing Japan’s deterrence and response capabilities is essential for our alliance with the United States,” Kishida told CNN. “I hope the United States understands this, and we can work together for peace and stability in the region. As we witness Russian aggression and the ongoing situation in the Middle East and in East Asia, we are facing a historic turning point. That is why Japan has taken the decision to fundamentally strengthen its defense capabilities and has made a significant shift in our security policy with respect to these issues.”

Kishida further stressed that there are countries neighboring Japan that are developing ballistic missiles and nuclear weapons, as well as countries building up defense capabilities in an “opaque way.”

“Also, there is a unilateral attempt to change the status quo, by force, in both the East China Sea and South China Sea,” he added, referring to security threats from North Korea and China as the backdrop for Japan’s defense policy shift.

Under Kishida, Japan has increasingly departed from its pacifist constitution by acquiring the capability to attack enemy missile bases. Kishida argues that this is inevitable given the security situation in the region.

Kishida also noted that North Korea and Russia intensifying military cooperation is “concerning with respect to international order and stability.”

“At the same time, it is important to convey a firm message to North Korea and China that it is important for the peace, stability, and prosperity of the international community to maintain a free and open international order based on the rule of law,” Kishida said.

The Japanese prime minister also said that the Tokyo-Washington alliance is becoming “ever more important,” and that “it’s important to show the rest of the world that the United States and Japan will further evolve our collaboration through my visit.”

When asked if he was concerned about former U.S. President Donald Trump’s possible reelection, Kishida said that regardless of the outcome, it is “important to make sure that the American people recognize the importance of the Japan-U. S. relationship.”

Kishida is scheduled to hold bilateral talks with U.S. President Joe Biden at the White House on Wednesday, followed by a speech to the U.S. Congress and a trilateral summit between the U.S., Japan and the Philippines on Thursday.

A trilateral summit between South Korea, Japan and China is also in the works, with Beijing first suggesting a summit scheduled for the end of May, according to Seoul's Foreign Ministry. This year's summit will be the first between the three neighbors in four years since the summit in Chengdu in December 2019. President Yoon Suk Yeol, Kishida and Chinese premier Li Qiang are likely to attend the summit.

BY LIM JEONG-WON [lim.jeongwon@joongang.co.kr]