Japan PM Kishida to meet North Korean leader? Kim Jong Un's sister hints at possibility

North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un's sister on Monday (March 25) claimed that Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida had conveyed his hopes of meeting her brother in the immediate future. The revelation comes amid consistent backroom diplomacy aimed at securing a summit between the two sides.

Kim Yo Jong serves as a top advisor to her brother Kim Jong Un. In a message carried out by North Korean state media, Kim Yo Jong said that a potential improvement in Pyongyang-Tokyo ties would depend on Japan's will to make "a practical political decision", a purported reference to theissue of Japanese nationals abducted by Pyongyang decades ago.

Japan's response

Prime Minister Kishida said that this was nothing new.

"As I have said in the past, I have been making various direct approaches to North Korea, believing that top-level talks are important to resolving issues such as the abduction problem," Kishida told an Upper House committee minutes after the report was released, Japan Times reported.

Earlier, Kim Jong-un's sister had hinted at the possibility of a visit to Pyongyang by the JapanesePrime Minister Kishida upon theresolution of key issues between the two nations.

She specifically pointed out the abduction issue, which she claimed had already been settled, and urged Japan to remove what she termed as "stumbling blocks" hindering bilateral relations.

But Tokyo firmly rejected the assertion that the abduction issue had been resolved, labeling it as "totally unacceptable."

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Relatives of abductees cited in the Japanese mediacautiously expressed openness to the idea of Tokyo easing its sanctions on Pyongyang.

The Kishida administration has been quietly pushing for dialogue with North Korea since last year, and these recent developments may signal a renewed effort to engage in diplomatic talks. The prospect of a thaw in relations offers a glimmer of hope for easing tensions in East Asia.

(With inputs from agencies)