Japanese Prime Minister Plans to Visit Mongolia in August; Kishida to Ask for Cooperation with North Korea Negotiations

The Yomiuri Shimbun

14:35 JST, June 6, 2024

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is planning to visit Mongolia in early August as part of efforts to set up talks with North Korea over Japanese abductees, according to government sources.

As Mongolia maintains friendly relations with North Korea, Kishida hopes to ask Mongolian President Ukhnaa Khurelsukh for cooperation in advancing talks over the abductee issue. The visit would take place around the same time as Kishida’s trip to Kazakhstan.

Kishida’s trip would be the first for a Japanese leader since former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited in 2016.