Japan's Prime Minister hails and welcomes Trump-Kim summit 

Japanese Prime Minister, Shinzō Abe, on Friday, welcomed the announcement of the meet between US President Donald Trump and his North Korean counterpart Kim Jong Un.

"I highly appreciate North Korea`s change that it will begin talks on the premise of denuclearisation," Shinzo Abe said, adding that he planned to visit the United States to meet Trump "as early as April".

Japan has been cautious about a recent Olympics-driven rapprochement on the Korean peninsula. The Japanese Prime Minister noted on Thursday that "talks for the sake of talks are meaningless."

Abe sounded positive about the planned Trump-Kim summit. He also described the event as "the achievement of cooperation between... Japan, the US, and South Korea to maintain great pressure".

"We will keep putting maximum pressure (on North Korea) until North Korea takes concrete actions toward denuclearisation in a manner that is perfect, verifiable and irreversible."

According to Abe, there is no change in policy for Japan and the US.

(With inputs from ANI)