One year after Yokota's death, little progress on abduction issue with N Korea

If everything else fails play the Megumi card. Very sad.

Why not believe NK for the last 12 Japanese who had been abducted.

It is not like it is a leverage of any kind. They would have already played it.

Japanese politicians are hopeless in diplomacy but excellent at pledging.

President Trump had promised to eventually bring up the issue with Kim. Kim really liked Trump so it seemed to have some potential for progress. Unfortunately for the Yokotas, the Democrats decided to steal the 2020 election.

And that’s exactly the problem. Any small contacts, official meeting, projects or supporting help, communication, money etc. only with strict and fair preconditions, one of them for example the return of all abductees or clear informations about their whereabouts. Such regimes and dictators only understand a clear language and a strong setting for everything, otherwise they will only use and play with you, telling you just nothing although they of course know everything and even if Megumi lives right next door.

It is disappointing that biden isn’t supporting America’s ally by pressing this issue with North Korea. biden is fine having Japan as China’s first target in a war but won’t lift a finger to do anything in support of Japan. Shameful.

It is disappointing that biden isn’t supporting America’s ally by pressing this issue with North Korea.

Personally, I actually side with Republican strategy in this case, and definitely feel that the solution is photo-ops and love letters with Korea. That will solve it for sure! But only if Biden threatens fire and brimstone first, it won't work if he doesn't do that first.

President Trump had promised to eventually bring up the issue with Kim. Kim really liked Trump so it seemed to have some potential for progress.

Yeah, I must say I'm a little disappointed that Trump didn't bring it up in any of his love letters or photo ops with Kim. He missed out on such a good opportunity after creating these amazing diplomatic channels that led to such positive outcomes.

"Why not believe NK for the last 12 Japanese who had been abducted."

Yes, good question. In 2002, the North Korean regime said the following to the Japanese: 5 of the 17 abductees asked about were alive and well and living in North Korea (which was true), 8 (including Yokota Megumi) had died, and 4 had never entered North Korea. Why would the North Koreans tell the truth about 5 people but then lie about the other 12?

This is a question that needs to be credibly answered. Dismissing the question with a wave of the hand and just saying that North Koreans lie like other human beings breathe is not a credible answer. Because they obviously did not lie about the 5 abductees who were taken back to Japan.

cla68June 5  09:32 pm JST

President Trump had promised to eventually bring up the issue with Kim.

"Promised to eventually?" No equivocation there at all then.

Kim really liked Trump so it seemed to have some potential for progress. Unfortunately for the Yokotas, the Democrats decided to steal the 2020 election.

Trump was President for four years before that and there was no progress in all that time. As for Democrats stealing the election, why not take that to a federal judge with all the "evidence" you can scrape together and see what happens.

WolfpackJune 6  01:14 am JST

It is disappointing that biden isn’t supporting America’s ally by pressing this issue with North Korea. biden is fine having Japan as China’s first target in a war but won’t lift a finger to do anything in support of Japan. Shameful.

What's shameful is how unscrupulous right-wing hacks like Shinzo Abe have made political capital by exploiting these tragedies and promising action when they cannot in fact do anything. Never let facts get in the way of ill-informed holier-than-thou rant though.