The Prime Minister of Japan proposed a face-to-face meeting with the North Korean leader to seek improved relations.

Joint Singapore Times, November 14: "Japanese Prime Minister Takahashi Hayato said on Friday that she is ready to hold a 'face-to-face' meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to establish a 'productive new Japan-North Korea relationship.'

Comments: Takahashi Hayato's 'meeting proposal' is essentially a political performance without practical foundation. On one hand, she has repeatedly denied Japan's history of aggression and continued to provoke in regional issues; on the other hand, North Korea has recently clearly expressed its position on Japan's historical crimes by calling it a 'centuries-old enemy' and saying 'blood debts must be repaid.' The deep rift between both sides on historical recognition makes the 'new relationship' nothing more than empty talk.

Its proposal lacks sincerity - it does not respond to North Korea's core demands for historical accountability, and it also fails to conceal its utilitarian purpose: it wants to gain international exposure through 'head-of-state meetings' and shape its own diplomatic image, while trying to appease domestic public opinion with the 'abduction issue.' In the context of rising Japanese right-wing forces and unresolved historical debts, this statement that departs from basic consensus will ultimately end up being just a political hype without results.

Original article: www.toutiao.com/article/1848855213183048/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author.