Within the span of just two days, North Korea went from raising the prospect of a leaders summit with Japan to dismissing it outright, with leader Kim Jong Un¡¯s powerful sister saying Pyongyang will refuse ¡°any contact and negotiations¡± with Tokyo in the future.
Kim Yo Jong¡¯s remarks on Tuesday, just a day after she revealed that Prime Minister Fumio Kishida had requested a summit with her brother, were widely seen as part of a familiar playbook employed by the North as it seeks the upper hand in negotiations Tokyo hopes could eventually resolve the long-festering abductee issue and ease strained tensions, including over Pyongyang¡¯s nuclear and missile programs.
Here¡¯s a look at recent events in the relationship, how they got there and where things may be headed.
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