Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) Policy Research Council Chairman Fumio Kishida delivered a speech at the convention of the LDP Kagoshima chapter held in Kagoshima City on June 16.

He gave the following comments on the agreement reached at the recent U.S.-DPRK summit: “All the details with regard to when and how denuclearization will take place and how it will be verified remain unclear.” He stressed that it is necessary to closely watch North Korea’s next steps.

Expressing his views on North Korea’s diplomatic posture, Kishida pointed out that “it has suddenly shifted to smile diplomacy and summitry,” adding that, “We certainly hope to resolve the nuclear, missile, and abduction issues through dialogue, but the situation is still unpredictable.”

With regard to the abduction issue, Kishida stated: “In the end, Japan must bear full responsibility through direct negotiations with North Korea. The latent power of Japan’s diplomacy will be put to the test,” urging the government to go into negotiations.