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Tokyo maintains dialogue with Pyongyang — government

The Asahi newspaper reported earlier that a Japan-North Korea summit meeting may take place already this June

TOKYO, March 29. /TASS/. Japan’s government maintains dialogue with North Korea via various diplomatic channels, including diplomatic missions in China, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told a news conference on Thursday.

"We maintain dialogue with North Korea through various channels and tools, including the embassy in Beijing," he said, however dodging the question whether a possible meeting between Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was being looked at.

The Asahi newspaper reported earlier that a Japan-North Korea summit meeting may take place already this June. According to the newspaper, this matter was discussed at a recent session of Kim Jong-un’s Worker’s Party of Korea. If actually organized, this will be the first Japan-North Korea summit since December 2011.

The North Korean leader visited Beijing on March 25-28. During the trip, Kim Jong-un held talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping. According to Xi Jinping, Kim Jong-un’s visit shows the great importance that the North Korean leader attaches to the development of relations with China.

The trip to China was the first foreign visit for Kim Jong-un since taking the reins of power after his father’s death in 2011.