A Japanese man has been detained in North Korea, a potential diplomatic dilemma as Tokyo pushes to hold a summit with Pyongyang, Japanese media reported yesterday.
It was not immediately clear when or why the unidentified man was held, but he might be charged with spying, the Asahi Shimbun reported, quoting government sources.
“Securing the man’s safety is the top priority, but it is possible the North Korean side might make use of the case as a bargaining chip for its negotiations with Japan,” a source close the Japanese government told the newspaper.
Further details, such as the purpose of the man’s visit to North Korea, were not immediately available.
A Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs official declined to confirm the news reports “due to the nature of such a case.”
However, “the government is taking action and gathering information,” the official told reporters.
Tokyo has advised Japanese citizens against travel to North Korea as part of its economic sanctions on the country.
North Korea has a long history of arresting foreigners on spying charges and then using them as diplomatic pawns.
In 1999, a Japanese newspaper reporter in North Korea was detained for about two years on spying charges, Kyodo News reported.
Reports suggest that Tokyo is considering a summit soon between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in the wake of South Korea and Washington’s recent diplomatic detente with Pyongyang.
Japanese media have floated a possible meeting on the sidelines of an international forum in Vladivostok, Russia, next month.
“Ultimately, I myself will have to directly face chairman Kim Jong-un and engage in dialogue and resolve the nuclear, missile and, above all, the all-important abduction issue, and then build new Japan-North Korea relations,” Abe said on Monday, referring to other people Japan accuses North Korea of holding.
Additional reporting by staff writer
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