Tokyo: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has offered to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un "unconditionally" in a bid to restore diplomatic ties between the two historic foes, a daily said Thursday.
Abe, seen as a foreign policy hawk, has recently softened his rhetoric towards Pyongyang, calling for a summit with Kim to resolve an emotional row over past kidnappings of Japanese nationals by Pyongyang agents.
In an interview with the Sankei Shimbun on Wednesday, Abe said: "I want to meet Chairman Kim Jong Un unconditionally and talk with him frankly with an open mind."
"It is more than important for our country to be proactive in tackling the issue," the premier said.
"We can't break the shell of mutual distrust between Japan and North Korea unless I directly face Mr. Kim," he said.
"I hope that he is a leader who can make a decision strategically and flexibly on what is best for his nation," he added.
Tokyo has been one of the most hawkish of the major powers on reclusive state North Korea, and has been on the receiving end of some of Pyongyang's harshest rhetoric -- as well as missiles launched over its territory.
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