Kishida ready to face N. Korea to resolve abductee issues
13:32 JST, May 30, 2022
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Sunday reiterated his desire for talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to resolve issues surrounding Japanese nationals abducted by North Korea and to seek their return.
“It is very important to build a relationship between us leaders,” Kishida said at a gathering in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo.
Around 800 people joined the gathering, including families of those abducted by North Korea and their supporters.
Since five abductees returned to Japan in 2002, there has been no further release of remaining abductees. Referring to this fact, Kishida stressed, “I feel truly sorry that many abductees are still left behind in North Korea. I’m determined to face Mr. Kim Jong Un unconditionally.”
One of the attendees was Takuya Yokota, 53, the younger brother of Megumi Yokota who was abducted by North Korea when she was 13.
“It is the responsibility of Japan to solve the abductee case. We will never give up,” said Yokota, the head of the group representing families of the abductees.
His mother, Sakie Yokota, 86, agreed. “Our children are bearing their ordeals while thinking of their parents and siblings. Japan must toughen itself up,” she said.
"Politics" POPULAR ARTICLE
-
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida Promotes Revised NISA Investment Program to Young People; Kishida Focusing on Moving Money From Savings to Investment in a Safe Environment
-
Japan, U.S. to Join Forces on AI, Semiconductors; Seek to Counter China’s ‘Military-Civil Fusion’
-
Japan, U.S. to Work Together for Expanding Marine Product Supply Chains; Countering China’s Economic Coercion
-
84% of People Nationwide Say They Feel Japan’s National Security Is Under Threat
-
“High Probability” 2 MSDF Patrol Helicopters Collided near Torishima Island; 1 Dead, 7 Others Onboard Missing (Update 2)
JN ACCESS RANKING
- M6.0 Earthquake Hits Japan’s Tohoku Region; Fukushima, Iwate, Miyagi Prefectures Observe 4 on Japanese Scale With No Risk of Tsunami
- China Mutes Memorialization of Reformer Hu Yaobang; Memories Could Spark Critique of Xi Administration
- Shinkansen Services Suspended After Man ‘Searches for Phone’ on Tracks; Disruption Affects About 14,000 Passengers
- U.S. 7th Fleet officer Arrested on Suspicion of Stealing Sushi, Sashimi, Chicken at Kanagawa Shopping Mall; Suspect Caught Mid-Meal
- UNRWA Director Describes Catastrophic Destruction in Gaza; Says Relief Trucks Robbed, ‘People’s Hearts Destroyed’