The Japanese government must lift its “hostile” unilateral sanctions on North Korea if the two countries are to hold a summit, a Tokyo-based pro-Pyongyang organ said on Tuesday.

A commentary carried by the Choson Sinbo — an organ of the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan (Chongryon) — urged Japan to take the measures in response to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s recent stated desire to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un “without conditions.”

In an interview with the Sankei Shimbun in May, Abe said he wanted to “talk with him frankly with an open mind.”

But the