Japanese Premier Takaichi’s summit proposal has not yet received reply from Pyongyang: Report

ISTANBUL

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's proposal for a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has yet to receive a response from Pyongyang, Kyodo News reported Tuesday, citing government sources.

Takaichi, who was elected Oct. 21, said she wants to meet Kim "directly" and "achieve concrete results.”

The report came after the newly elected prime minister said Monday that Japan had extended an offer for a summit with Kim.

"I will do everything during my term to have a breakthrough and resolve the matter,” Takaichi told a gathering in Tokyo on the abduction issue.

Takaichi is known for sharing a conservative political stance and hawkish views on diplomacy and security with the late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

During a news conference Tuesday, Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara refrained from commenting on North Korea's reaction, merely noting that the Japanese government is engaging with Pyongyang "through various channels."

Japan officially lists 17 people as "abducted" in the 1970s and 1980s by North Korea.

Five were repatriated in October 2002 following landmark talks in Pyongyang between late North Korean leader Kim Jong Il and then-Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi.

But no major progress has since been reported.

Japan and North Korea have no diplomatic ties, and Pyongyang has said the abduction issue has been solved.