Japan has sounded out other countries in the stalled six-party talks on North Korea's nuclear programs about holding an informal meeting in Tokyo possibly by the end of June, sources familiar with the matter said Saturday.
Japan hopes to hold an informal meeting when the next round of the Northeast Asia Cooperation Dialogue hosted by a U.S. research institute is held in Tokyo, which will likely bring together senior government officials from the five other countries — China, North Korea, Russia, South Korea and the United States.
Launched in 2003, the six-party talks aimed at getting North Korea to give up all its nuclear weapons have been suspended since December 2008, when Pyongyang withdrew. Japan aims to bolster coordination among the countries as it seeks progress on the North's reinvestigation into the fate of Japanese nationals abducted by Pyongyang decades ago.