Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono said, Japan will provide economic assistance to Pyongyang if it settles its nuclear problem and releases Japanese citizens forcibly held in the country.
He said at a press conference ahead of his upcoming visit to the United States, if North Korea solves the problems of nuclear and missile programs, as well as the problem of kidnapped and forcibly held Japanese citizens, Japan will be ready for normalization of diplomatic relations and offering economic assistance to North Korea.
He noted that his visit to the United States would last from June 6 to June 9 and would be devoted to clarifying the Japanese-US bilateral agenda in light of the upcoming US-North Korea summit.
The first meeting between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will take place on June 12 in Singapore.
The past several months have seen a surge in diplomatic activity on the Korean Peninsula with officials from China, Japan, Russia, North Korea, South Korea, and the United States meeting to discuss the issues related to de-nuclearization of Pyongyang.
