Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Friday voiced his gratitude to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, who sent a message of sympathy over a deadly earthquake that hit central Japan on New Year's Day.
It is rare for a Japanese premier to receive a message from a North Korean leader, as the two nations have no diplomatic relations, and Pyongyang has been critical of Tokyo for deepening defense cooperation with the United States and South Korea.
"We have received messages from many countries and regions," Kishida said during a parliamentary session, adding, "We have also expressed our gratitude for the message of sympathy" from Kim.
In early January, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said North Korean leaders had not sent any messages of sympathy to Japanese prime ministers in recent years, including at the time of the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami that devastated northeastern Japan.
On Friday, Kishida reiterated that his government will continue making efforts to resolve the long-standing issue of North Korea's abductions of Japanese nationals in the 1970s and 1980s, pledging to promote negotiations to achieve a summit with Kim.
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