Japan’s Foreign Ministry plans to create a department that will solely deal with North Korea-related affairs in order to better respond to a recent dialogue mood between the North and the international community. 

Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono told reporters on Friday that the ministry’s Northeast Asian department that handles both Koreas will be separated into two entities handling each Korea. 

He said that Seoul and Tokyo need to strengthen their solidarity in responding to the recent situation on the Korean Peninsula. 

He also said there is a growing need for Japan to strengthen its response to the North’s nuclear and missile development and the issue of the abduction of Japanese nationals by the North in the 1970s and 1980s. 

The Japanese ministry plans to launch a North Korean department this summer. The department will be tasked with exploring ways to resume the stalled Tokyo-Pyongyang negotiations on bilateral issues such as abduction as well as collecting information on the North. 

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