Japan’s ambassador to the U.S. said Pyongyang is not ready to resolve the issue of North Korea’s abduction of Japanese citizens, as Tokyo continues to make efforts to set up a meeting between the leaders of the two countries.

Ambassador Shigeo Yamada stressed that it is important for Japan’s prime minister to resolve the abduction issue, along with the DPRK’s missile and nuclear issues, while speaking at a forum hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington on Monday.

But “recent statements from North Korea indicated that they are not ready to deal with those outstanding issues,”