Prime Minister Shinzo Abe expressed hope Friday that the U.S.-North Korea summit to be held in Singapore on June 12 will lead to progress on the issue of the North's past abductions of Japanese nationals.
Hailing U.S. President Donald Trump's announcement on the summit's venue and schedule through a Twitter post Thursday, Abe said, "We strongly hope this historic U.S.-North Korean dialogue will be an opportunity to move forward on (the North's) nuclear and missile programs and most importantly the abduction issue."
Abe told reporters in Sapporo he will closely communicate with Trump through phone calls and other means.