Japan welcomes the release of two detained U.S. journalists in North Korea following a visit to Pyongyang by former U.S. President Bill Clinton, the top government spokesman said Wednesday.
"The government had been watching the situation . . . with a high level of interest," Chief Cabinet Secretary Takeo Kawamura told a press conference. "According to a spokesman for former President Clinton, the two U.S. journalists left Pyongyang with the former president. The Japanese government welcomes that."
The release of the journalists — Laura Ling and Euna Lee — came after Clinton met North Korean leader Kim Jong Il on Tuesday in an unannounced visit to the reclusive state.