Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said his government is "using various channels" to communicate with North Korea, including over a potential summit with leader Kim Jong Un.
Asked by a reporter about meeting Kim, Abe said last June's summit in Singapore between Kim and U.S. President Donald Trump meant the "situation has greatly changed" and as both sides work toward further talks, "I think next time around I will also have to face Kim Jong Un."
"Nothing has been decided on a Japan-DPRK summit, not even the timing," Abe said through an interpreter at a news conference in London on Thursday, using the acronym for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, North Korea's formal name. "But we are using various channels, including the embassy in Beijing, to communicate with North Korea."