Japan’s PM ready to make “new start” with N. Korea

In what could mark the beginning of a thaw in ties between bitter rivals Tokyo and Pyongyang, Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said he is open to a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to “break the shell of mutual distrust.”

Addressing the U.N. General Assembly in New York on Tuesday, Abe, however, said that a “new start” should contribute to the settlement of the issue of cold war era abductions of Japanese citizens by N. Korean regime, notes The Guardian.

The comments reflect a softening of Abe’s hardline stance on N. Korea, although the leader explicitly denied any concrete plans for a face-to-face meeting with Kim, reports Deutsche Welle.