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Japan Welcomes Signing of Declaration After US-North Korea Summit - Abe

© AP Photo / Shizuo KambayashiJapanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe - Sputnik International
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TOKYO (Sputnik) – Japan supports the signing of a document after the North Korea-US summit, and considers it a step towards comprehensive resolution of different issues, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Tuesday.

"The fact that … Kim Jong-un confirmed his commitment to full denuclearization via signing the document is a step towards comprehensive resolution of different issues. We welcome this," Abe told reporters.

The Japanese prime minister said he would like to speak to Trump by phone to discuss the summit, and thanked him for raising the issue of abducted Japanese nationals in North Korea.

READ MORE: Trump Says Got Along With Kim From Beginning of Meeting

"I would like to continue making all possible efforts in close cooperation with the United States, South Korea, China, Russia and the international community to resolve various current issues regarding North Korea, including the issue of abducted Japanese citizens, nuclear and missile issues," Abe added.

On Abductions of Japanese Citizens by North Korea

Abe is still committed to personally discuss the fate of Japan’s citizens, kidnapped by Pyongyang in the 1970s and 1980s, with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said on Tuesday.

"Japan intends to discuss this issue directly with North Korea. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s position on holding negotiations personally with Chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea Kim Jong Un remains unchanged," Suga said at a briefing.

The Japanese government officially confirmed 17 abduction cases of its nationals, while about 900 more disappeared under the circumstances that could potentially involve North Korea's actions. Pyongyang recognized 13 instances of kidnapping Japanese citizens, five of whom were returned to Japan and eight more died.

U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un walk in the Capella Hotel after their working lunch, on Sentosa island in Singapore June 12, 2018 - Sputnik International
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Kim Commits to 'Complete Denuclearization of Korean Peninsula' in Joint Document
It is believed that some of these Japanese citizens were abducted for the purpose of obtaining their identities, which were used by North Korean penetration agents in South Korea. Other abducted individuals allegedly taught the Japanese language to North Korean intelligence personnel.

Earlier in the day, Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un held talks in Singapore to put an end to a nuclear standoff on the Korean Peninsula and completely denuclearize it.

The two have reached an agreement, with the US president saying that they had signed a "pretty comprehensive document," while Kim stated that the world was about to see "a major change," and expressed gratitude to Trump for the summit.

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