Japan PM vows ‘breakthrough’ with North Korea in abduction issue

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Saturday expressed her determination to achieve a “breakthrough” in resolving the long-standing issue of Japanese nationals abducted by North Korea, vowing to weigh all options, including summit talks.

At a rally in Tokyo calling for the return of Japanese abductees, Takaichi urged North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to take a “courageous step” together for the benefit of the peoples of the two countries.

“Whatever it takes, I will resolve the abduction issue by making a breakthrough during my time (in office),” Takaichi, who became prime minister last October, told the gathering organised by family members of those abducted by North Korea and their supporters.

“We are tackling this issue seriously with a determination not to miss the slightest chance of making concrete progress as soon as possible, even by a day or an hour,” she said.

The Japanese government officially lists 17 Japanese nationals as having been abducted by North Korea in the 1970s and 1980s.

Five abductees were returned in 2002 after then prime minister Junichiro Koizumi met then North Korean leader Kim Jong-il in Pyongyang on September 17 that year in the first-ever summit between the two countries, which do not maintain diplomatic ties. No summit has been held since 2004, when Koizumi and Kim met again in Pyongyang.