Abe offers funds for denuclearization

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe speaks during a news conference with President Donald Trump in the Rose Garden at the White House in Washington, Thursday, June 7, 2018. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

TOKYO — Regarding the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, agreed to at the US-North Korea summit, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Saturday that his government would help bear the expense related to the denuclearization, but pointed out that the process requires verification by the International Atomic Energy Agency.

 “It’s a matter of course that the expense would be shared by Japan and others who will benefit from peace through eliminating nuclear threats,” Abe said on a TV program broadcast by the Yomiuri Telecasting Corp.

 But regarding the issue of giving economic assistance to North Korea, he said, “Unless the abduction issue is resolved, Japan will not provide economic assistance.” The prime minister thus made a clear distinction between economic assistance and sharing the financial burden of denuclearization. 

 He then reiterated his determination to resolve the abduction issue, saying, “Ultimately, I myself will have to hold a summit meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.”