Japan’s Prime Minister says he might be up for negotiations with North Korea.  This, after an unannounced high level mission from Tokyo to Pyongyang that Japan’s allies in Washington want to know more about.

Speaking in Parliament, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said a face-to-face meeting North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to try to settle a row over Pyongyang's past kidnapping of Japanese nationals is one of the options open to him.

“Our fundamental objective is to resolve the abduction issue, including the return of all abductees, revelation of the truth and the handover of the perpetrator to Japan,” the prime minister added.

Abe did not comment specifically on special envoy Isao Iijima's visit to North Korea.

The top US envoy on North Korea says he will ask Japan for an explanation about Iijima’s action.  US special representative for North Korea policy Glyn Davies spoke to reporters in Beijing on Wednesday after talking with China's special envoy for Korean Peninsula affairs, Wu Dawei.

Wu told reporters that he heard about Japan’s contact with North Korea on TV, adding the North Korean issue is very complicated and requires comprehensive measures from various perspectives.