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Abe ready to meet North Korea's Kim Jong Un 'unconditionally' to 'break the shell of mutual distrust'
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has offered to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un “unconditionally” in a bid to restore diplomatic ties between the two foes, a daily newspaper reported Thursday.
In an interview with the Sankei Shimbun on Wednesday, Abe said: “I want to meet Chairman Kim Jong Un unconditionally and talk with him frankly with an open mind.”
Abe, seen as a foreign policy hawk, has recently softened his rhetoric toward Pyongyang, calling for a summit with Kim to resolve an emotional row over past kidnappings of Japanese nationals by North Korean agents.
“It is more than important for our country to be proactive in tackling the issue,” Abe also said in the interview.
“We can’t break the shell of mutual distrust between Japan and North Korea unless I directly face Mr. Kim,” he said. “I hope that he is a leader who can make a decision strategically and flexibly on what is best for his nation.”
Tokyo has been one of the most hawkish of the major powers on reclusive North Korea, and has been on the receiving end of some of Pyongyang’s harshest rhetoric — as well as missiles launched over its territory.
Until late 2017, North Korea repeatedly tested missiles that flew toward or over Japan, sparking warnings blared from loudspeakers and stoking calls for a tough stance against Pyongyang.
However, Japan now finds itself battling to keep itself relevant on the fast-moving North Korea issue as Kim expands his diplomatic circle.
Kim met Russian President Vladimir Putin last week after multiple meetings with U.S. President Donald Trump, Chinese President Xi Jinping and South Korean President Moon Jae-in.
Abe also told the Sankei that he had asked Trump to help resolve the abduction issue when they held talks at the White House on Friday.
Trump will hold another meeting with Abe in late May when he visits Japan as the first foreign head of state to meet Emperor Naruhito, who acceded the throne Wednesday.
Tokyo believes North Korean agents kidnapped Japanese nationals to train its spies in language and customs in the 1970s and 1980s.
After years of denial, North Korea admitted in 2002 that it had taken 13 Japanese civilians and released what it said were the five survivors, saying eight others had died.
Campaigners, however, believe the disappearance of up to 470 Japanese may be linked to North Korea.
North Korean authorities have given no public indication of any willingness to meet Abe.
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2019/05/02/national/abe-ready-meet-north-koreas-kim-unconditionally-break-shell-mutual-distrust/
Blackstone sues RCS owner over disputed HQ sale
MILAN (Reuters) - U.S. private equity firm Blackstone Group has launched legal action against the chairman and controlling shareholder of Italian publisher RCS Mediagroup over a disputed property sale, a copy of the lawsuit showed.
Filed in New York on April 22 and suing RCS Chairman Urbano Cairo directly, the latest action adds to the one Blackstone filed against RCS last November. The first lawsuit was put on hold on April 24 pending the outcome of arbitration in Italy.
Asked about the lawsuit against him on the sidelines of RCS’ annual general meeting on Thursday, Cairo said he could not comment as he had no direct information on the matter.
The case centers on RCS’ historic headquarters in central Milan, which Blackstone bought from RCS for 120 million euros ($134 million) in 2013.
Cairo has said Blackstone bought the properties at too low a price when RCS faced financial difficulties, and the transaction should be declared void.
The publisher, owner of influential daily Corriere della Sera, launched arbitration proceedings under Italian law in November to annul the sale.
Blackstone has in turn accused RCS of falsely claiming that it still owns the property and said the publisher improperly blocked it from selling it to Germany’s Allianz last summer, according to the two U.S. filings.
“The decision to proceed with an arbitration was taken by the board,” Cairo said. “It was something that could not be helped after the due diligence analysis.”
The private equity firm says in the latest complaint that it suffered damages as a result of Cairo’s alleged “intentional interference with (Blackstone’s) prospective business relations in an amount to be proven at trial”.
Cairo said that RCS had told Blackstone that the valuation of the assets was too low long before news of the sale to Allianz emerged.
“We informed Blackstone in writing in March last year,” he said on Thursday.
RCS’ board has decided against setting aside funds to cover legal risks related to the dispute, a financial document published on Thursday showed.
Cairo, who started off by selling advertising for the media group of former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and went on to build his own media empire, took control of RCS in 2016 after a hostile takeover that pitted him against Italy’s business elite.
Famous for his cost-cutting abilities, Cairo has been able to turn RCS around without job losses.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-blackstone-group-rcs-lawsuit/blackstone-sues-rcs-owner-over-disputed-hq-sale-idUSKCN1S80HE?il=0
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I understand fully what it is. Have a right to express opinion like anyone else.