Japan holds talks with DPRK

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The first Tokyo-Pyongyang meeting for four years will not bring substantial changes to the strained bilateral ties, analysts said, as representatives from the two countries held talks in Beijing on Wednesday.

The meeting will have a positive influence on relations between Japan and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, but bilateral ties will not see substantial improvement, said Wang Junsheng, an expert on East Asian studies with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

Some deeply-rooted issues are still complicating ties between Japan and the DPRK, including Pyongyang's nuclear plan and historical issues around Japan's invasion of the Korean Peninsula during World War II, so it is not practical to expect the two countries to improve bilateral ties with one meeting, Wang said.

Japan is an important ally of the United States in East Asia, which means they have imposed a number of sanctions against the DPRK due to Pyongyang's nuclear program, so Tokyo is feeling pressure from Washington whenever it attempts to improve ties with Pyongyang, he added.

The meeting shows that both the DPRK and Japan have the will to improve ties, but Pyongyang's nuclear program and policy of "military as priority" will not be changed, said Zhang Liangui, a professor on Korean Peninsula studies at the Party School of the Communist Party of China Central Committee.

The meeting was held at 3 pm in the Japanese embassy in Beijing, and there may be another session at the DPRK embassy on Thursday, if the discussion cannot be concluded on Wednesday.

The Tokyo-Pyongyang dialogue marks the first government-to-government meeting between the two countries since 2008, and the first since DPRK leader Kim Jong-un took power from his father, who died in December.

Questions:

1. This is the first meeting in how many years?

2. Where did representatives hold talks?

3. When did Kim Jong-un’s father die?

Answers:

1. Four years.

2. Beijing.

3. December.

About the broadcaster:

Lee Hannon is Chief Editor at China Daily with 15-years experience in print and broadcast journalism. Born in England, Lee has traveled extensively around the world as a journalist including four years as a senior editor in Los Angeles. He now lives in Beijing and is happy to move to China and join the China Daily team.