Pompeo in Tokyo to discuss North Korea en-route to Pyongyang

>> TOKYO: US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo arrived in Tokyo yesterday for talks with Japanese officials ahead of his trip to North Korea, where he’ll be under pressure to push Pyongyang toward giving up its nuclear weapons.

Mr Pompeo’s diplomatic offensive in Asia comes as President Donald Trump seeks to meet with leader Kim Jong-un for a second time after their June summit in Singapore.

Mr Pompeo was expected to meet with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Foreign Minister Taro Kono late yesterday to discuss their North Korea policies before heading to Pyongyang today. Tokyo is the first stop of his three-day East Asia tour, which also takes him to South Korea and China.

In Beijing, Mr Pompeo will face tensions over trade and accusations of election interference. In contrast, Mr Pompeo’s meetings with Mr Abe and Mr Kono should be more relaxed.

Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told reporters on Friday that they planned deepen cooperation on their efforts to achieve North Korea’s denuclearisation. He did not elaborate.

The real diplomatic test for Mr Pompeo will come in Pyongyang. He is expected to meet with Mr Kim and one of his most trusted aides Kim Young-chol, a former intelligence official.

Speaking on his plane on Friday, Mr Pompeo said his mission was to “make sure that we understand what each side is truly trying to achieve ... and how we can deliver against the commitments that were made” in Singapore. He said they would develop options, if not finalise, the location and timing of a second Trump-Kim summit.

Mr Trump and Mr Kim made a vague “denuclearisation” agreement at their June summit but were deadlocked over how to achieve it.

Mr Pompeo has repeatedly refused to discuss details of negotiations, including a US position on North Korea’s demand for a declared end to the Korean War.

North Korea so far has suspended nuclear and missile tests, freed three American prisoners and dismantled parts of a missile engine facility and tunnel entrances at a nuclear test site. It has not taken any steps to halt nuclear weapons or missile development.

North Korea also has accused Washington of making “unilateral and gangster-like” demands on denuclearisation and insisted that sanctions should be lifted before any progress in nuclear talks.

On Friday, the two Koreas held a highlevel meeting in Pyongyang to discuss the implementation of agreements their leaders made at a summit last month.