Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says Tokyo is gathering intelligence and conducting analysis on North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s trip to China with keen interest. 

Abe made the remark during a meeting of the House of Councilor’s budget committee which was aired by national public broadcaster NHK on Wednesday. 

The Japanese prime minister said he became aware of the North Korea-China summit through media reports, adding that he will request Beijing to provide a more detailed explanation on the summit. 

Abe’s remarks indicate that the Japanese government was not notified in advance of Kim’s trip and summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping. 

Abe claimed that the latest changes on the Korean Peninsula have resulted from Tokyo’s basic stance that maximum pressure must be applied on the North based on strong cooperation among the international community, including China and Russia.

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