Kenichiro Sasae, Japan's top negotiator in the six-party talks, which aim to resolve the
Korean Peninsula nuclear issue, arrived in Beijing Sunday
evening.
Kenichiro Sasae, head of the Japanese Foreign Ministry's Asian
and Oceanian Affairs Bureau, is set to meet his Chinese and US
counterparts to discuss the nuclear issue, Kyodo News quoted a
Japanese government official as saying.
The six-party talks, focusing on denuclearizing the Korean
Peninsula, include China, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea
(DPRK), the Republic of Korea (ROK), the United States, Japan and
Russia.
Last year's breakdown in negotiations was triggered by U.S.
financial sanctions aimed at the DPRK's alleged money laundering
and counterfeiting.
The DPRK stunned the world on Oct. 9 this year by conducting its
first underground nuclear test, prompting international
condemnation. The DPRK agreed last month to resume the nuclear
disarmament talks but no fixed date has been set as yet.
The DPRK's Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye Gwan, the country's
chief delegate to the six-way talks, may also visit Beijing, but
any chance of bilateral talks of Japan and the DPRK on this
occasion remain slim, Kyodo News said.
During his stay, Sasae is also scheduled to meet with Hu
Zhengyue, head of the Chinese Foreign Ministry's Asian Affairs
Department.
(Xinhua News Agency November 27, 2006)