FOCUS: Japan may try to resolve N. Korea abduction issue with ASEAN support

The absence of North Korea's foreign minister at the ASEAN Regional Forum in Laos hindered Japan's desire to pave the way for resolving the longstanding issue of its nationals abducted by Pyongyang, but Tokyo may seek ways to address the problem by deepening ties with Southeast Asia.While Japan has often used the ASEAN-related meeting, one of the few multilateral events attended by North Korea, as an opportunity to make contact with its top diplomat in the past, Pyongyang has refrained from dispatching its foreign minister, having last sent one in 2018.Since 2019, negotiations have also sta…READ FULL ARTICLE