Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is considering visiting Mongolia in August as part of Tokyo's efforts to advance stalled talks with North Korea on the issue of the past abduction of Japanese nationals, an informed source said Wednesday, APA reports citing Kyodo.
If realized, it will be the first visit since 2016 by a Japanese leader to the Central Asian nation, which maintains close ties with North Korea. Japan, with no diplomatic ties with Pyongyang, has often looked to Mongolia to act as a mediator in dealing with the abduction issue.
During the envisioned visit in the first half of August, Kishida hopes to meet Mongolian President Ukhnaa Khurelsukh and ask for his cooperation in resolving the issue of Japanese nationals by North Korean agents in the 1970s and 1980s.
He is expected to underscore the need to bring back the victims to their home country as the abductees' relatives are aging, and call for support over his push to establish a "high-level" bilateral dialogue with North Korea to pave the way for a summit with Kim Jong Un.
Other items on the agenda will likely include expanding the trade of key minerals and Japanese investment in Mongolia, based on their bilateral free trade agreement effective since 2016.
Kishida has expressed eagerness to hold a summit with the North Korean leader to realize the return of Japanese nationals abducted by Pyongyang. But no substantial progress has been seen, with North Korea continuing ballistic missile launches and other provocative actions.
Mongolia hosted senior-official level talks between Japan and North Korea in 2012. Officials of the two countries have also been known to meet at the Ulaanbaatar Dialogue, an international conference hosted by Mongolia.
Arrangements are also under way for Kishida to visit Kazakhstan in August to attend a meeting with the leaders of five former Soviet states in Central Asia.
One possible hitch, however, to Kishida's trips would be the political circumstances ahead of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's leadership race in September that will effectively pick the next prime minister.
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