At the Japan-South Korea summit meeting last week, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and South Korean President Roh Moo Hyun agreed that the two countries should work together more closely to resolve the North Korean nuclear crisis. The agreement will help provide an impetus to the coming six-nation talks on dismantling Pyongyang's nuclear development program and help resume long-stalled normalization talks between Japan and North Korea.

Mr. Koizumi told a joint press conference that relations between Tokyo and Pyongyang "can be normalized within a year." As he made clear, this can be achieved only after pending problems -- including the abductee issue as well as the nuclear and missile development programs -- are resolved in a comprehensive manner.

The meeting, held on the South Korean resort island of Cheju, was overshadowed by the six-party talks, which are aimed at bringing peace and stability to Northeast Asia through the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. The on-and-off talks started last year in Beijing, and are likely to reach a crucial stage at the next round, expected to take place by the end of September.