Japan, the United States and South Korea on Thursday reaffirmed the importance of close coordination among the three countries in formulating policy for North Korea and pushed for an early visit to Seoul by North Korean leader Kim Jong Il.
At a regular consultation meeting in Tokyo, officials of the three governments welcomed a recent proposal by North Korea for resumption of Cabinet-level meetings between North and South Korea, a Foreign Ministry official said.
In response to Pyongyang's call, the South Korean government on Thursday made a counterproposal to hold the talks in Seoul from Sept. 15 to 18. No official contact between the North and South has been made since March.