Abe tells S Korea envoy Japan wants abduction issue resolved in N Korea talks

Abe's nick name is trouble making PM. Abe's foreign policy is worse than his economic policy. Abe can't tell far and near, big and small, peace and war, good and bad.

The abductee issue is a fair one, only someone soulless will minimize the sufferings of Japanese families that had to deal with this. I don't see the relevance at all between what Japan's military and government did during WW2 and the NK issue. Trying to compare the two is just sick.

That said, there's a time and place for it, and this is not the time. There are more pressing issues at hand and the abductee issue can be dealt with later.

Unbelievable 17 perhaps 100 but can not verify 83 as they keep popping up. That's the focus, not the thousands of slave workers used for the benefit of companies and the JIA many owned by Asos family and other government ministers . Best not to talk about. What is fair what is a life worth their nationals or Japanese which is worth more worth as individuals? The talks as many have said are about nuclear weapons. Not a small number of abductees, that can wait. And it's been too long for that resolution.

this abductee issue is a card the government plays (and never does anything about) to pull nationalist heart strings and sweep scandals under the table.

And wow what great timing, back in the news the DAY AFTER he got caught illegally altering documents. wow shocker......

47 years too late, Abe. And nobody even knows what a "resolution" would be. In any case, denuclearizing NK is more important than 5 decade old issue Japan should have handled in the 70s.

@ tajToday 05:46 pm JST    It seems that few posters realize that this is not just a Japanese issue. Many, many more South Koreans are suspected kidnap victims.

Yes taj you are right. This topic is seldom if ever mentioned in the media here. As you stated 100s of S. Koreans are still missing and most of them were abducted the same time as the Japanese were.

In addition, esp in the 1970s,  people from many countries have been confirmed abducted. Asians, esp Chinese and Thai, Malaysians...etc.  Europeans, incl French, Italians, Dutch, Romanians etc. have also been abducted. As have Americans.

The actual  numbers are unknown, as people go missing all the time from various causes, but it surely is not a few. 

It is an extremely sad and regrettable that this issue has not been resolved for all abductees after such a long time, but in the current climate of negotiating with erratic Kim, a Mr Volatile if there ever was, the first and foremost task is peace. For without any progress made on the establishment of "cordial" relations on the peninsula,  any semblance of other "normal " negotiations will not occur.

Abe is still playing the domestic "vote-for-me" card, where as he needs to think more widely, deeply and be the true diplomat.

That's understandable, as the leader of the nation it would have been treason to let this crime go ignored. How South Korea handles this request will define what sort of nation they really are

I mean really, why would SK spend time discussing Japanese abductees during a rare and crucial talk with NK? Why do some posters here seem to believe SK owes Japan something? Japan should organise its own summit with NK and spend as long as their heart desires discussing the abductee issue.

Sounds like he wants to throw a monkey wrench into negotiations.

Once again, its not always about you. Japan made WWII more about Hiroshima and Nagasaki than their own actions. North Koreans don’t feel bad about abducting citizens way back because Japan colonised them.

The issue is not the abductees. Its the missiles you shoot over Japan and the threats to kill everyone here.

Abe already trying to divert attention back to NK.

Good on Abe for bringing this up, South Korea would have 100% failed to mention this with North Korea, and they would have done this deliberately too. Now that it has been officially put to South Korea by Japan, they will have to bring it up or cause a diplomatic incident with Japan. Well played

@Wellington - Are you serious? What 'diplomatic incident' do you think will play out if SK does not discuss the issue? SK is no longer under Japanese rule... hasn't been for a while.

Leave the little petty abduction issue out of it. That is a whole other non-world threatening event.

There ain’t no disguising the fact that Japan is increasingly being left out of the loop on trade and security matters. With every foregone opportunity to mention North Korea’s abductions or include Japan in the list of nations which won’t be subject to sanctions under the new reciprococity rules now being crafted, Abe’s assurances that Japan and the U.S are on the same page ring more and more untrue. The Trump administration has effectively put Japan and others on notice that the new order of the day is quid pro quo, you help us and we’ll help you. Japan is now reaping the fruit of decades spent avoiding transitioning away from a single minded power and control mercantilism.

It seems that few posters realize that this is not just a Japanese issue. Many, many more South Koreans are suspected kidnap victims.

"South Korean statistics claim that, since the Korean Armistice Agreement in 1953, about 3,800 people have been abducted by North Korea (the vast majority in the late 1970s), 480 of whom are still being held."

(Data according to a Japanese organization: http://www.sukuukai.jp/narkn/)

Abe does seem a bit more single-minded when approaching N.Korea. perhaps due to Nippon Kaigi puppet masters pulling that particular string.

That's understandable, as the leader of the nation it would have been treason to let this crime go ignored. How South Korea handles this request will define what sort of nation they really are

Abe is so smart. As these things happened last century, NK should pay $1m for each 28 abductees, and japan should pay $1m for each 300000 raped women and girls. Then just move on.

Cricky: "This issue has more to do with Nippon Kaigi hate and LDP shortsighted policy than an actual working policy."

Agreed.

Wellington: "Yeah, cause only a single issue can be handled by governments at any one time right? If nothing is as important as one issue, all other issues should be ignored right?

You're looking at this too simplistically. First, this is not a summit being held to discuss various issues, it is a meeting being held specifically to address NK's nuclear program. That's the first point. The second point is that we are dealing with a regime notorious for simple getting up and walking out if and when offended, as they have done in the past on the same issue, when a nation like Japan brings up an unrelated issue. So, no, in this case they should NOT deal with any other issues; not because they CAN'T, but because they shouldn't. Third, Japan is bringing what Japan wants to the table, and nothing else.

"A resolution of the abduction, nuclear and missile issues is Japan's core policy,"

NK doesn't care what Japan's core policy is, especially since that core policy involves ignoring Japan's own past and the wishes of others to address it and other things. The abduction issue, if brought to the table, will be the excuse NK needs to walk out of the meetings, and it would most CERTAINLY be Japan's fault for bringing it up in talks about nukes. Now, if they want to join and talk about nukes, then fine, but they have to make a binding promise that the abduction issue will not be even mentioned, not by anyone, or else they should not be allowed to take part in the meeting at all.

Only NK fawners, useful idiots, and bitter language teachers want the world to forget this unforgivable crime.

I doubt anyone wants anyone else to forget what happened. If Abe is actually genuine, of course.

There's no doubt that the families involved are genuine.

But one step at a time. "Bitter language teachers" or not.

Smith I know, many abductees have been found in Japan? This issue has more to do with Nippon Kaigi hate and LDP shortsighted policy than an actual working policy.

Yeah, cause only a single issue can be handled by governments at any one time right?

No, that’s not why

If nothing is as important as one issue, all other issues should be ignored right?

No, it depends on the issue.

Cricky: Actually, there's been an unofficial list of a couple hundred "abductees" for some time, but the government only recognises 17, and for good reason: once in a while the "abducted" person turns up just fine, living life in another prefecture, with a new family. They just up and left, but the family left behind couldn't fathom or accept it and so added them to a list that has zero proof on it.

dcog9065: " Only NK fawners, useful idiots, and bitter language teachers want the world to forget this unforgivable crime."

Like sex-slaves? You seem to think they should be forgotten, as well as Nanjing. And who is asking that the abductees being forgotten, in your alternative facts? We are asking that the issue be a bilateral one, as it is, not brought up at talks to denuclearise NK -- something that will keep Japan safe as well.

Yeah, cause the unilateral abduction issue is just as important as averting nuclear war, right?

Yeah, cause only a single issue can be handled by governments at any one time right? If nothing is as important as one issue, all other issues should be ignored right?

Great to hear! Only NK fawners, useful idiots, and bitter language teachers want the world to forget this unforgivable crime. NK will pay for this crime regardless of what they do with their nukes

Last story it was 17 abductees, now 100s, and the government wants this on the table when they are outraged by statues? The big picture would focus on missiles and a aggressive Nuclear program. 17 abductees vs 100,000s of thousands of sex slaves is not a winning position. I really do feel compaction for all, for the future got to let some things be a behind the cloak, negotiation not in public. Could be a deflection by the LDP but why?

Without another view of history, such as a lowered head at world war history, why to stay G7?

Now that it has been officially put to South Korea by Japan, they will have to bring it up or cause a diplomatic incident with Japan.

Yeah, cause the unilateral abduction issue is just as important as averting nuclear war, right?

Good on Abe for bringing this up, South Korea would have 100% failed to mention this with North Korea, and they would have done this deliberately too. Now that it has been officially put to South Korea by Japan, they will have to bring it up or cause a diplomatic incident with Japan. Well played

Abe on the ropes,

”Must....look....proactive....must....”

LOL.. es expected, here we go again. The decades old abduction issue gets warmed up the 100st time ( as always without solution ) to smokescreen the ongoing scandals.

This is why Japan canNOT be included in the talks. They will once again derail the whole thing to try and make their bilateral issue a world one. And I bet if SK said, in response, "Okay, we will, and in return we want the sex-slave issue discussed and what Japan needs to do to make it right, since NK was also enslaved", Japan would scream outrage and that it was a resolved bilateral issue, etc. etc.