Foreign Minister Taro Kono has conveyed to U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo Tokyo's desire to hold talks with North Korea on resolving the long-standing abduction issue, a government official said Saturday.
Kono's remarks signal Japan's growing frustration. Pyongyang, which earlier this year started to pursue diplomacy toward neighbors China and South Korea as well as the United States, has shown no interest in communicating with Tokyo.
"Japan has been determined to hold direct talks with North Korea and to take every step toward an early resolution of the abduction issue," Kono was quoted by the official as telling Pompeo during a meeting on Saturday in Singapore, where both men are attending meetings hosted by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.