TOKYO, Aug 30: In a move that could end decades of Cold War enmity, Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said on Friday he would make an unprecedented visit to Pyongyang next month for talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il aimed at normalizing relations.

“I will visit Pyongyang on Sept 17 for talks with General Secretary Kim Jong-Il,” Koizumi told reporters at his official residence, moments after a formal announcement by Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda.

“I want to find clues for solving numerous issues between Japan and North Korea. I want to explore the possibility of resuming normalisation talks by meeting him in person.

“I decided on the visit as I thought we could not take the first step forward unless the two leaders talk with political determination,” he said.

It will be the first visit by a Japanese premier to North Korea, with which Tokyo has never established diplomatic relations.

Koizumi said he had called US President George W. Bush and South Korean President Kim Dae-Jung to inform them of his plans, and won their support.

“This concerns not only the peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula but also the peace and stability of the world, and I will keep close contact with South Korea and the United States,” he said.

China and Russia had also been notified, Fukuda said.

A South Korean government spokesman hailed the pending visit, saying Seoul expected it “produce significant progress in Japanese-North Korean relations and contribute to peace and stability in northeast Asia.”

The dramatic development followed talks in Pyongyang between the two sides’ diplomats, but Koizumi revealed negotiations had been going on for more than a year.—AFP