Japan urged the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden last month to resume denuclearization talks with North Korea, as the new administration in Washington plans a full review of its approach to Pyongyang, sources familiar with the matter said.
Takehiro Funakoshi, director-general of the Japanese Foreign Ministry's Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau, called for the resumption of the denuclearization talks in a Feb. 19 teleconference with his U.S. and South Korean counterparts, saying they had been "highly effective," the sources said Wednesday.
Negotiations between Washington and Pyongyang have stalled since 2019, after then-U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un failed to reach an agreement on appropriate sanctions relief and denuclearization.