Japan’s Suga “I want to meet Kim Jong-un and discuss the kidnapping of Japanese”

Japanese Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide said, “I would like to meet with Kim (Jeong Eun) in person and make a discussion to solve the problem of kidnapping Japanese citizens by North Korea.”

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga unveils measures against Corona 19 at a press conference on the 25th of last month. [로이터=연합뉴스]

Prime Minister Suga made such a statement in a conversation with right-wing commentator Yoshiko Sakurai, published in the Sankei Shimbun, on the 3rd. He said that he worked with former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to resolve the abduction problem, such as enacting a law prohibiting Man Gyeong-bong from entering Japan. “Abe said, “I am willing to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un without conditions.” I will continue with the policy of the former prime minister.”

Prime Minister Suga also mentioned the fact that the family of victims, including Shigeru Yokota, the father of Megumi Yokota (born 1964), a Japanese kidnapping victim, passed away one after another last year. I cannot.”

After he came to power, Chairman Kim Jong-un met with the leaders of major countries such as South Korea, the United States, China, and Russia, but he never met with the Japanese Prime Minister. Former Prime Minister Abe suggested several ways to meet with Chairman Kim Jong-un in conjunction with the North Korea-US summit in 2018, but it did not come true with the North Korean side’s lukewarm attitude.

Prime Minister Suga also announced in this interview that if US President Joe Biden takes office in January, he would recommend that President Donald Trump return to the Pacific Rim Economic Partnership Agreement (TPP), which declared his withdrawal. “The TPP was originally proposed by President (Barack) Obama (then) of the same Democratic Party as Biden,” he said. “It is natural for the United States to return to the TPP.”

Regarding China’s desire to participate in the TPP, “TPP requires very high level of market opening rules for its member states, so it will certainly be strict with China,” he said. “It will be difficult to participate in China’s current political and economic system. I think,” he drew a line.

Prime Minister Suga also said, “I want to take a proper challenge,” he said. “As the constitutional amendment is’at the time’ of the LDP, it is natural to go ahead with the constitutional amendment.”

Regarding the new coronavirus infection (Corona 19), which is getting serious every day, he said, “We have a corona 19 vaccine that can be vaccinated by all citizens, and we are preparing to start vaccination as soon as possible.”

Tokyo = Correspondent Lee Young-hee [email protected]