Kim Yo Jong said a summit between Kim Jong Un and Japan's prime minister would not occur unless Tokyo abandons what she called its "anachronistic" practices. Her remarks came after Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi told President Donald Trump she wanted to meet Kim. Analysts say North Korea may be seeking better ties with Japan to weaken U.S. alliances, while Japan seeks answers on abductions from the 1970s and 1980s. Pyongyang has largely avoided diplomacy with the U.S. and South Korea since 2019.
North Korea Rejects Summit With Japan Unless Tokyo Abandons 'Anachronistic' Practices
FILE - Kim Yo Jong, a sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, attends a wreath-laying ceremony at Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum in Hanoi, Vietnam, March 2, 2019. (Jorge Silva/Pool Photo via AP, File)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Kim Yo Jong, the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, said Monday that a summit between her brother and Japan's prime minister will not take place unless Tokyo abandons what she called its "anachronistic" practices.
Kim's comments followed statements by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who told reporters last week she had told U.S. President Donald Trump during a summit in Washington that she had "a very strong desire" to meet Kim Jong Un.
"But this is not the one that comes true, as wanted or decided by Japan," Kim Yo Jong said, adding that for a leaders' meeting to occur, "Japan should first be determined to break with its anachronistic practice and habit." She did not specify which policies she meant.
Context And Diplomatic Stakes
Observers say Pyongyang may be seeking to improve ties with Tokyo to drive a wedge between the United States and its regional allies. Tokyo, for its part, has prioritized resolving the fate of Japanese citizens abducted by North Korea in the 1970s and 1980s.
After years of denial, North Korea acknowledged at a 2002 summit between then-leader Kim Jong Il and former Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi that its agents had kidnapped 13 Japanese citizens; five were allowed to return. Japan suspects additional abductions and believes some abductees may still be alive. The last direct talks between Tokyo and Pyongyang took place in 2004.
Broader Diplomatic Freeze
Prospects for renewed diplomacy remain limited. Pyongyang has largely shunned negotiations with Washington and Seoul since 2019. Former U.S. President Trump met Kim Jong Un three times between 2018 and 2019 and has said he seeks to resume dialogue; North Korean leaders have conditioned a return to talks on the U.S. abandoning what they call its "delusional obsession with denuclearization."
In Tokyo, Takaichi said Trump expressed support for quickly resolving the abductee cases and indicated he would "provide cooperation in various ways" if a meeting with Kim Jong Un were pursued.
Bottom Line: Kim Yo Jong framed her rejection as a "personal position," language analysts interpret as pressure on Japan to make concessions — keeping the door open to negotiations only if Tokyo changes course on issues Pyongyang deems critical.
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