Tokyo
Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi returned from an unexpectedly brief summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Il this week and tried to quell reports that he had been snubbed. “I don’t think the length or shortness of a meeting is a standard for measuring success,” Koizumi told Parliament. Koizumi promised Kim tons of food and medical aid, hoping to persuade him to dismantle his nuclear program. Koizumi also sought the release of family members of Japanese people who were kidnapped by the North Koreans during the Cold War and repatriated in 2002. He returned from the 10-hour visit with five children of two repatriated couples, but without a clear pledge that Kim would give up his nuclear weapons.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
The backlash against ChatGPT's Studio Ghibli filterThe Explainer The studio's charming style has become part of a nebulous social media trend
-
Why are student loan borrowers falling behind on payments?Today's Big Question Delinquencies surge as the Trump administration upends the program
-
Not there yet: The frustrations of the pocket AIFeature Apple rushes to roll out its ‘Apple Intelligence’ features but fails to deliver on promises
