Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi may invite North Korean leader Kim Jong Il to Japan when he visits Pyongyang on Sept. 17, a top government spokesman said Wednesday.
The invitation will depend on whether Koizumi sees any developments in his meeting with Kim, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda said, declining to comment further on the possibility.
However, a senior Foreign Ministry official last week flatly denied the possibility of any such invitation.