North Korean leader Kim Jong Il expressed Saturday his willingness to normalize diplomatic relations with Japan, saying, "A new page in history" must be opened in bilateral ties.
He described the upcoming visit to Pyongyang by Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi as an important chance to achieve that goal.
In a written interview with Kyodo News, Kim said he would be willing to visit Japan when bilateral relations improve. He reiterated, however, that Japan must first apologize and compensate for its 1910-1945 colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula.