Japan plans to sound out North Korea about holding foreign ministerial talks on the fringes of a regional conference in early August in Myanmar, a Japanese government source said Sunday.
Japan hopes to make use of the meeting between Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida and North Korean counterpart Ri Su Yong, if the latter attends the ASEAN Regional Forum, to inject life into the stagnant abduction issue.
If the meeting between Kishida and Ri, known to be a close aide to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, goes through, it would be the highest level of contact made between Japan and the North since Kim launched his regime in April 2012.