A Tokyo-based newspaper says the surprise meeting held between the leaders of the two Koreas and the U.S. at the inter-Korean demilitarized zone(DMZ) is emblematic of Tokyo's exclusion from denuclearization dialogue.

The Tokyo Shimbun said in an editorial Tuesday that while Prime Minister Shinzo Abe stresses "a relationship of trust" with U.S. President Donald Trump, he was not included in the meeting.

The report then questioned whether Tokyo was even aware of the DMZ meeting, and pointed out that Japan is the only regional country whose leader has yet to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

The newspaper then suggested that Japan is being excluded from the momentum for peace on the Korean Peninsula.