Saadet Gokce
23 March 2026•Update: 23 March 2026
ISTANBUL
Kim Yo Jong, the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, on Monday rejected calls for a summit with Japan, saying Tokyo must abandon what she described as “anachronistic practices” before any leaders-level talks can take place.
"In order for the top leaders of the two countries to meet each other, Japan should first be determined to break with its anachronistic practice and habit," the senior official in the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea said in a statement published by state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
Her comments came after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said she had told US President Donald Trump that she wanted to meet Kim Jong Un, a move backed by Washington.
Kim Yo Jong rejected that possibility, saying North Korea would not engage if Japan continues to raise what she described as a “unilateral” issue.
"If the prime minister of Japan seeks to resolve its unilateral matter not recognized by us, our state leadership will have no intention to meet or sit face-to-face with her," she said.
The dispute centers on Japan’s claim that North Korea abducted its citizens in the 1970s and 1980s, an issue Tokyo has long sought to resolve through dialogue.
Japan officially lists 17 people as abducted during that period. Five were repatriated in October 2002 following talks in Pyongyang between then-North Korean leader Kim Jong Il and Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi.
No major progress has been reported since.
Japan and North Korea do not have diplomatic ties, and Pyongyang says the abduction issue has been resolved.
Kim Yo Jong also criticized Japan for what she called outdated thinking.
“We have nothing to discuss with such a party that remains committed to obsolete thinking and unrealistic ideas,” she said, adding that she does not want Takaichi to visit Pyongyang.
"However, this is just my personal position," she added
