North Korea said Monday that Japan’s prime minister has offered to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, but stressed that prospects for their countries’ first summit in about 20 years would depend on Tokyo tolerating the North’s weapons program and agreeing to close the book on its past abductions of Japanese nationals. Japan … Read more
Kim Yo Jong, vice department director of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK) and the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, has traditionally been critical of both the United States and South Korea. On February 15, she turned her attention to Japan and issued a message. In response … Read more
On February 15, Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, showed positive signals regarding a summit meeting between Kim Jong Un and Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio. “I think there would be no reason not to appreciate his recent speech as a positive one, if it was prompted by … Read more
On the first day of this year, Japan was shaken by a major earthquake that struck the Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa Prefecture. Among the messages of sympathy that poured in from around the world, one that surprised many observers came from North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, in the form of a telegram to Japanese Prime … Read more
If that fateful day hadn’t come, Yokota Shigeru and Sakie would have lived a run-of-the-mill family life, just like any other. But 46 years ago, on the evening of November 15, 1977, their 13-year-old daughter Megumi suddenly disappeared on her way home from junior high school in Niigata City, which is about 250 kilometers north … Read more
Advertisement In September, Hanoi celebrated the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Japan and Vietnam. Marking the occasion, I delivered my first ever lecture in Vietnamese at the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences. What follows is an outline of that lecture. The Japanese government normalized diplomatic relations with North Vietnam three years … Read more
Advertisement Three notable events involving North Korea recently has left the Japanese government of Kishida Fumio feeling somewhat unsettled. First, North Korea notified the Japan Coast Guard of its plan to launch a military reconnaissance satellite. A resolution adopted by the International Maritime Organization assembly requires member states to provide prior notification to coordinating countries … Read more