Japan has officially requested consultations with South Korea to discuss Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s attendance at the PyeongChang Winter Olympics.

An official of the presidential office in Seoul told reporters on Wednesday about Tokyo's request. 

The official said whether or not Abe will be taking part in the sporting event will be known when the Japanese government makes an official announcement. 

Abe said in an interview with Japan’s Sankei Shimbun released on Wednesday that, if circumstances allow, he would like to attend the opening ceremony of the Games and support Japanese athletes. 

He also expressed his hope to meet President Moon Jae-in at the opening ceremony and personally tell him that Japan cannot accept Seoul’s requests for Japan to take additional steps regarding a 2015 bilateral deal on the issue of Japan’s wartime sexual slavery. 

Abe said he believes inter-Korean dialogue and the Olympics should be addressed separately, adding that he would also like to make clear to Moon that efforts to maximize pressure on North Korea should not be undermined.