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On April 27, 2018, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe held a press occasion at the Prime Minister's Office.
 
In regard to Inter-Korean Summit Meeting, the Prime Minister said,
 
“Today, President Moon Jae-in of the Republic of Korea (ROK) and Chairman of the State Affairs Commission Kim Jong-un of North Korea held earnest discussions on the denuclearization of North Korea and other issues. I welcome this as a positive development for the comprehensive resolution of outstanding issues of concern related to North Korea.
 
I also wish to commend the efforts of the ROK Government for the realization of the Inter-Korean Summit.
 
Based on the result of the Inter-Korean Summit and through occasions such as the upcoming U.S.-North Korea Summit, I strongly hope that North Korea takes concrete actions. We will closely monitor the moves of North Korea.
 
In addition, President Moon Jae will explain the situation in concrete terms directly to me by telephone in the near future. I intend to take note of the situation carefully, including President Moon Jae-in’s reaction to it.
 
Regardless, Japan will closely cooperate among Japan, the United States and the ROK towards the comprehensive resolution of the abductions, nuclear, and missile issues, and towards the upcoming U.S.-North Korea Summit. We intend to engage in steadfast cooperation with China, Russia, and other members of the international community toward the resolution to these issues.
 
With regard to today’s declaration, there are also declarations from years past. For instance, there is a declaration issued by President Roh Moo-hyun of the ROK and Chairman Kim Jong-Il of North Korea. Japan will weigh its upcoming responses and measures thoroughly after also comparing and analyzing today’s declaration in light of other such declarations.
 
In any event, I intend to continue to work in close cooperation with President Moon Jae-in and President Donald Trump.”
 
In addition, in response to a question from the press regarding some concerns about Japan being left out, the Prime Minister said,
 
“There are no such concerns at all. Recently, I spent more than 11 hours with President Trump and had lengthy discussions with him. We are in complete agreement regarding our responses to North Korea, such as our basic policy and future responses.
 
Following that, I also spoke with President Moon, and we agreed on the points that Japan has discussed with the United States and on our basic policy.
 
Concerning the declaration and relevant issues, I believe that we need to closely examine and analyze the developments to date.”