A committee of the Kawasaki Municipal Assembly unanimously endorsed a petition Thursday calling on the central government to normalize diplomatic relations with North Korea, city officials said.
The committee decided to submit to the assembly a resolution on the petition, originally submitted by the pro-Pyongyang General Association of Korean Residents in Japan (Chongryun) and other groups, for approval at its plenary session on Monday, the officials said.
The municipal assembly secretariat said similar petitions have been submitted in other cities in Japan, following increasing recent contact between North and South Korea.
However, if Kawasaki were to adopt the resolution, it would be the first major Japanese city to do so.