Japanese Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara is showing a strong determination to resume bilateral dialogue with North Korea.

Maehara said during a news conference Tuesday that bilateral negotiations with North Korea must be resumed in order to resolve the issue of Japanese abductees in the North as well as Pyongyang’s ambitions regarding nuclear weapons and missiles.

In particular, Maehara stressed that bilateral talks with the North must be held regardless of whether the six-way nuclear talks are resumed.