A rare message from North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to Japan expressing sympathy for the powerful earthquake on New Year's Day has raised speculation that Pyongyang may be signaling its openness to dialogue after showing no interest in Tokyo's aspiration to hold a bilateral summit.
As the Japanese government assesses the intention behind the message addressed to Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Friday, one official was optimistic, saying it "may be a sign."
In the hope of a breakthrough in the long-standing issue of Pyongyang's past abduction of Japanese nationals, Kishida has vowed to advance "high-level discussions under my direct initiative" to realize a summit with Kim.
But tensions have remained high as North Korea continues to test-fire ballistic missiles and engage in other provocative activities while also being critical of the strengthening defense collaboration among the United States and its closest Asian allies, Japan and South Korea.
Kim's message in response to the magnitude-7.6 quake that has rocked Sea of Japan coast areas came as a "surprise," another Japanese government official said, underscoring the rarity of the action.
North Korean leaders had not sent any messages of sympathy to Japanese prime ministers in recent years, including at the time of a massive 2011 quake and tsunami that devastated northeastern Japan, according to the Japanese government. Radio Press, a news agency that monitors North Korea's official news media, said it was Kim's first message to Kishida, who took office in October 2021.
Japan's top government spokesman, Yoshimasa Hayashi, expressed "gratitude" for Kim's statement of deep sympathy and condolences that the official Korean Central News Agency reported on Saturday.
Atsuhito Isozaki, a professor at Keio University in Tokyo, said he cannot deny that Pyongyang aims to "entice the Kishida government to make progress" in the bilateral relationship.
The expert in North Korean politics said Kim's message, which expressed sympathy not only to Korean residents in Japan but broadly to the bereaved families and victims affected by the quake, was an "exceptional case."
In recent years, Kim has sent similar messages only to leaders of Iran, Syria, Cuba and China, according to Isozaki.
Isozaki, at the same time, called for continued monitoring of the behavior of North Korea and its media for Japan to get an accurate grasp of Pyongyang's intentions.
Some officials in the Japanese government were also cautious, with a diplomatic source warning that North Korea may just be trying to drive a wedge between the cooperation of Washington, Tokyo and Seoul.
The trilateral security cooperation has been making significant strides amid improving bilateral ties between South Korea and Japan that had increasingly soured over wartime compensation issues, apparently creating an unfavorable situation for North Korea.
"Japan's response may end with Chief Cabinet Secretary Hayashi's statement of appreciation on Saturday, but may not end with that," a Japanese government source said, leaving open the question of whether Kishida will reply to Kim's message.
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