A rare olive branch from the powerful sister of North Korea¡¯s leader offering up the enticing possibility of repairing ties with Japan may be concealing what analysts say is a more likely motivation ¡ª to drive a wedge between Tokyo¡¯s ever-closer trilateral and bilateral ties with Seoul and Washington.
In a statement carried by state-run media last week, Kim Yo Jong, a senior official in the regime of her brother, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, dangled the prospect of a visit to Pyongyang by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. Though this included the caveat that Japan remove ¡°stumbling blocks¡± in the relationship, including what she said was the ¡°already-settled¡± issue of abductions of Japanese nationals by the North decades ago, the statement has raised eyebrows in Tokyo and elsewhere.
The Japanese government has acknowledged the remarks, saying Tokyo is ¡°keeping in mind¡± what could represent a chance of a thaw between the East Asian neighbors as the Kishida administration continues a behind-the-scenes push for a possible summit that began last year.
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