Abe seeks China's cooperation on N.Korea

NHK -- Jun 01

Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has sought China's cooperation in dealing with North Korea.

Abe met visiting Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi, who oversees China's foreign policy, in Tokyo on Wednesday.

Abe called North Korea's repeated ballistic missile launches a matter of urgency for Japan and China. He expressed hope to work with China, which has strong influence on the North, to resolve the standoff between the country and Japan peacefully and diplomatically.

Yang said China is committed to the creation of a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula. He added that he expects each country to play a constructive role toward a peaceful settlement of the grave issue. Abe noted that this year marks the 45th anniversary of the normalization of Japan-China diplomatic relations, and that next year will be the 40th anniversary of the signing of a bilateral peace and friendship treaty.