Sanae Takaichi, the newly elected leader of Japan’s ruling party, the Liberal Democratic Party, at the party leader’s office in Tokyo on Oct. 4, 2025. Yuichi Yamazaki/AP
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said her government wants a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to break the deadlock over the issue of Japanese citizens abducted by North Korea decades ago.
If realized, the meeting would be the first summit between leaders of the two nations in more than 20 years. Former Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi visited Pyongyang in 2002 when North Korea admitted to abducting Japanese nationals and allowed five to return home.
