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N Korea at crossroads

Next on Kim Jong Un's to-befriend list: Shinzo Abe

Summit could cost Japan $10bn but bring closure to abduction issue

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has said he wants to sit down with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.  (Kyodo, KCNA)

SEOUL/TOKYO -- As North Korean leader Kim Jong Un goes from one summit to another, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is waiting for his chance.

Analysts say that as Kim plays Asian and other leaders off one another, strengthening his hand along the way, he might be in position to extract more than $10 billion from Japan that he can then use as seed money to get its underdeveloped economy growing.

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