Amidst positive signals from North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Deputy Department Director Kim Yo Jong about contact with Japan, the United States has expressed its support for diplomacy with North Korea. This is interpreted as the U.S. indirectly engaged in wars while supporting Ukraine and Israel, showing its intent to manage the situation on the Korean Peninsula.
On the 20th (local time), Sabrina Singh, deputy spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Defense, answered a question at a briefing about whether the U.S. supports Japan’s diplomatic approach to holding a summit with North Korea. She stated, “We support diplomatic activities towards North Korea,” adding, “They have indicated that they would pursue a diplomatic approach if they wanted to.”
Singh went on to say, “We want to see stability in the region,” and “If it (diplomatic approach) leads to dialogue, it would certainly be a welcome development,” clearly expressing the need for stable management of the situation on the Korean Peninsula.
On January 5, Kim Jong Un sent a condolence message to Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida regarding the earthquake on the Noto Peninsula. Since then, the two countries have been exchanging signals related to contact.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida stated at the House of Representatives Budget Committee on the 5th, “We will carefully analyze Kim Jong Un’s intent from the perspective of conducting North Korea-Japan negotiations to resolve the abduction issue of Japanese citizens,” expressing his hope for high-level discussions for a summit.
Subsequently, on the 15th, Kim Yo Jong of the Department’s Central Committee sent another positive message in her name in a speech published by the North Korean Central News Agency, saying, “With the remarks of Prime Minister Kishida, We note the evaluation that the Japanese media have shown a different position on the North Korea-Japan relationship issue.”
The next day, on the 16th, Japan’s Jiji Press Ltd. reported, “Defense Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi said at a press conference that he is paying attention to Kim Yo Jong’s mention of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s visit to North Korea in her speech,” leading to interpretations that the possibility of contact is being left open.
As the atmosphere for contact between North Korea and Japan is being created, and the U.S. seems not to be opposed to it, there are predictions that meaningful contact between the two sides may actually occur. This is because contact between North Korea and Japan could be a useful diplomatic card for the U.S., which needs to manage the situation on the Korean Peninsula, and Japan, which needs to achieve its goal of resolving the abduction issue.
Moreover, the fact that Prime Minister Kishida’s cabinet is stuck at a support rate in the 10% range and needs a turning point is another factor that adds strength to these predictions.
However, as Kim Yo Jong mentioned in her speech at the time, North Korea is showing the position that the abduction issue has already been resolved and is setting conditions such as not mentioning nuclear and missile issues, so it is not easy for the two sides to make contact. Even if they do, it is difficult to achieve results.
Matthew Miller, a spokesperson for the U.S. State Department, also showed a skeptical view of the contact between North Korea and Japan at a briefing on the day, saying, “I think there’s a huge assumption,” and “We haven’t seen a response from the Japanese government yet, but our policy to achieve the complete denuclearization of North Korea or the Korean Peninsula will not change.”
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