Tag - north-korea-japan-relations

 
 

NORTH KOREA JAPAN RELATIONS

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa at a Cabinet meeting in Tokyo in March.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 16, 2024
Japan's security environment at its 'most severe and complex,' policy report says
While North Korea and Russia pose challenges, some of the strongest words were reserved for China.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and his sister, Kim Yo Jong
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 9, 2024
Kishida-Kim summit unlikely to happen soon, Japan envoy to U.S. says
Shigeo Yamada said recent statements from North Korea indicate they aren't ready to deal with "outstanding issues of concern" with Japan.
Takuya Yokota, the representative of the Association of Families of Victims Kidnapped by North Korea, gives a news conference at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan in Tokyo on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 5, 2024
Relatives of Japanese abducted by North Korea hope Kishida raises issue in U.S.
Takuya Yokota, who represents a group of family members of abductees, said the matter is a human rights and humanitarian issue.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Apr 3, 2024
Tokyo police confirm death of North Korea abduction suspect
Kim Kil Uk, was on the international wanted list for the June 1980 abduction of Tadaaki Hara.
North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui attends a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow in January.
JAPAN
Mar 30, 2024
North Korean foreign minister nixes any contact with Japan
North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui has reiterated Pyongyang's stance that it will reject any contact with Japan.
Kim Jong Un and his daughter Kim Ju Ae attend the opening ceremony of the Gangdong Greenhouse in North Korea in this picture released on March 16.
JAPAN / Politics / EXPLAINER
Mar 27, 2024
North Korea reaches for familiar playbook in talks with Japan
Pyongyang blowing hot and cold on a potential leaders summit is meant to gain the upper hand in negotiations to realize such a meeting.
Kim Yo Jong, who serves as a top adviser to her brother, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, said Tuesday that Pyongyang had ruled out holding a leaders' summit with Japan.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 26, 2024
North Korea rules out summit with Japan and rejects more talks
The sister of leader Kim Jong Un said that a meeting was not of interest to the North, alluding to Tokyo's unyielding stance on the abductions issue.
This picture taken on March 18 and released by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency is said to show an ultralarge rocket salvo firing drill by North Korea.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Mar 26, 2024
Warning issued over North Korean tech workers posing as Japanese for cash
The government suspects that such workers are using the proceeds to fund Pyongyang's ballistic missile and nuclear weapons development programs.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's powerful sister said Monday that Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has requested a summit with her brother, hinting that any meeting was unlikely without a policy shift by Tokyo.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 25, 2024
Japan reaching out to North Korea for Kim-Kishida summit
The sister of leader Kim Jong Un said any summit would hinge on whether Japan was willing to make a "political decision" — likely on the abductee issue.
North Korean fans cheer on the national team during a World Cup qualifying match against Japan on Thursday in Tokyo.
SOCCER
Mar 24, 2024
The many twists and turns for Japan's canceled World Cup qualifier in Pyongyang
On Sunday, FIFA ultimately determined that the match wouldn't go ahead at all, which could hand Japan a place in the next round.
Japan fans during the women's team's Olympic qualifier against North Korea in Tokyo last month.
SOCCER
Mar 20, 2024
Japan warns football fans not to go to North Korea for World Cup qualifier
Japan and North Korea play in Tokyo on Thursday as part of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup, before the return fixture next week.
Sakie Yokota, whose daughter, Megumi, was abducted by North Korea at age 13 in 1977, speaks in an interview in Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture, on Feb. 20 with photos of Megumi and Kim Eun Gyong, Megumi's daughter, by her side.
JAPAN
Mar 19, 2024
Abductee's mom pins hopes on fresh Japan-North Korea talks
Sakie Yokota, 88, the mother of abductee Megumi Yokota, is pushing for the two countries' leaders to sit down for talks soon.
An Yong Hak, a former North Korean soccer player, in Yokohama on Thursday. An played 40 times in midfield for North Korea, and appeared with the team at the 2010 World Cup.
SOCCER
Mar 18, 2024
North Korean World Cup player says Japan game more than just soccer
This week's qualifier is a special occasion for some ethnic Koreans in Japan.
Takuya Yokota (second from right), head of a group of families of abductees to North Korea, speaks at a news conference in Tokyo on Sunday.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Feb 26, 2024
Families of North Korea abductees give Japan breathing room for summit
The group won't oppose Tokyo's lifting of sanctions on Pyongyang if all abductees are returned while their parents' generation is still alive.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has in recent months repeatedly touted his openness to “unconditional” talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, calling for “a bold step to change the status quo.”
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Feb 19, 2024
North Korea eyes well-worn playbook with Japan summit hints
Pyongyang's offer of repairing ties with Japan may be concealing what may be a more likely motivation — to drive a wedge between Tokyo and its partners.
Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, said on Thursday that a visit by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to Pyongyang could materialize, but only if Tokyo met several caveats.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 16, 2024
North Korea-Japan summit push gains steam after remarks by Kim’s sister
A visit by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to Pyongyang could materialize, but only if Tokyo met several caveats, Kim Yo Jong said.
U.S. Special Envoy on North Korean Human Rights Issues Julie Turner speaks to media at the U.S. embassy in Tokyo on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 15, 2024
U.S. supports Japan's push for talks with North Korea, envoy says
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told parliament last week that he wants to hold a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
Sakie Yokota speaks in an interview on Oct. 27 in Kawasaki. Yokota's daughter Megumi was abducted in Japan and taken to North Korea at the age of 13 some 45 years ago.
JAPAN
Jan 11, 2024
Mother of North Korea abductee awaits reunion as health woes mount
Sakie Yokota says her firm resolve to rescue her daughter Megumi seems to keep pushing her forward.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un with children at a spring festival gathering of children and students at the Mangyongdae Student Youth Palace in Pyongyang on Jan. 1
JAPAN
Jan 10, 2024
Kim's quake message to Japan sparks hope for dialogue
The North Korean leader's message in response to the magnitude 7.6 quake that rocked Sea of Japan coastal areas came as a "surprise," an official said.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attends an event with students to celebrate the new year in Pyongyang in this undated picture released Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 6, 2024
North Korea's Kim sends rare sympathy message to Japan over Ishikawa quake
The rare communication between the two countries’ leaders delivered Friday is believed to be Kim's first direct message to Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

Longform

Historically, kabuki was considered the entertainment of the merchant and peasant classes, a far cry from how it is regarded today.
For Japan's oldest kabuki theater, the show must go on