Prime Minister Shinzo Abe agreed Tuesday with his Malaysian counterpart Mahathir Mohamad to cooperate in addressing North Korea's nuclear and missile development as well as the abduction of Japanese citizens.
"I will closely cooperate with Mr. Mahathir to send out a powerful message to North Korea," Abe told a joint press conference after the two leaders' meeting, which came as the U.S. and North Korean leaders held their first summit in Singapore to discuss how to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula.
Expressing his hope for the success of the summit, Abe also said, "North Korea has rich (natural) resources and a diligent workforce. It will have a bright future if it treads the right path."