Top Japanese officials on Friday showed support for U.S. President Donald Trump's surprise announcement canceling the much-awaited summit meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore, saying that holding a meeting should not in itself be a priority in diplomatic exchanges with the nuclear-armed hermit state.
"Having a meeting, itself, is not important. What's important is to make progress in issues over nuclear weapons, missiles and ... the abduction (of Japanese nationals by North Korea)," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told a news conference.
"We'd like to maintain close cooperation between Japan and the U.S., and among Japan, the U.S. and South Korea as well," Suga added.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.