Tokyo — undeterred by possible signs of Washington and Seoul gravitating toward dialogue with Pyongyang — said Tuesday that it has no intention of backing down from its hard-line policy of heaping "maximum pressure" on the isolated regime of Kim Jong Un.
Asked if Japan was willing to recalibrate its policy on North Korea to help clear a path for dialogue with the nuclear-armed country, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, speaking at a regular news conference, reiterated that “dialogue for dialogue’s sake is meaningless” and that Tokyo will remain committed to “making the North change its policy by maximizing pressure through every possible measure.”
Suga's comments, which came amid burgeoning signs of Olympic-driven detente on the Korean Peninsula, risk making Tokyo appear at odds with Washington and Seoul — its two top allies in dealing with the North. Both separately indicated their willingness to talk with the regime after the Winter Olympics kicked off last Friday in the South Korean city of Pyeongchang.