Japan welcomes N. Korea`s readiness to return to 6-way talks

TOKYO, Oct. 6 Kyodo -
Japan on Tuesday welcomed that North Korean leader Kim Jong Il has referred to
the possibility of his country's return to the stalled six-party talks for the
first time since Pyongyang declared its withdrawal in April.
Following the development seen during talks between Kim and Chinese Premier Wen
Jiabao in Pyongyang on Monday, Tokyo hopes to hear from China about the outcome
of the talks and to step up its calls to bring North Korea back to the six-way
negotiations aimed at denuclearizing the North.
A trilateral summit meeting involving the leaders of Japan, China and South
Korea to be held in Beijing on Saturday is likely to serve as an occasion for
Japan to make such efforts.
''The fact that North Korea clearly mentioned the word six-party talks is
something that should be welcomed, given that North Korea has apparently been
showing a negative view about the six-party talks,'' Foreign Minister Katsuya
Okada said a press conference.
''I hope that we will be able to convene the six-party talks at an early
occasion,'' he added.
But given that Kim has expressed readiness to return to the talks on the
premise that its relations with the United States improve, a Japanese
government source said, ''This does not mean that North Korea has promised an
early return.''
The source also said North Korea's intention may be to cause a stir among
countries concerned by using both hard-line tactics of developing nuclear
weapons and a flexible stance of opening up to dialogue.
Meanwhile, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirofumi Hirano said at a separate news
conference that Japan intends to inquire to China as to the meaning of Kim's
remarks and ensure close coordination with Beijing and other relevant parties
toward resumption of the talks.
''It's important to ask China in a straight manner about the true meaning and
to confirm facts about it,'' Hirano said, indicating that policy coordination
toward North Korea's nuclear program will be a major topic when Prime Minister
Yukio Hatoyama meets with Wen and South Korean President Lee Myung Bak for the
trilateral summit in Beijing.
The six-party talks involve the two Koreas, China, Japan, Russia and the United
States.
==Kyodo