Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba pledged Thursday to bring back Japanese nationals abducted by North Korea decades ago, but his plan to set up liaison offices to resolve the long-standing issue met with opposition from the abductees' family members.
In his first face-to-face meeting as prime minister with the families, Ishiba underscored the urgency of the issue, describing it as "a race against time," and expressed eagerness to hold summit talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
"The government shares the view that the issue must be solved whatever it takes and therefore we will do our utmost," Ishiba said during the meeting at his office.
The government officially lists 17 people as abducted in the 1970s and 1980s by North Korea, which is also suspected in many other disappearances. Pyongyang maintains that the abduction issue has been resolved.
Takuya Yokota, whose older sister Megumi is one of the abductees, said he is "strongly opposed" to the idea of having a liaison office in Japan and another in North Korea, as envisaged by Ishiba.
"It won't do anything other than buy time," Yokota, who heads the family group, told the prime minister. But Yokota later told reporters he felt Ishiba has a "strong intention to resolve the issue while in office."
Japan, which is also concerned by Pyongyang's nuclear and missile development, does not have diplomatic ties with North Korea.
Ishiba's immediate predecessor, Fumio Kishida, was positive about holding one-on-one talks with the North Korean leader, but no summit materialized.
Sakie Yokota, Megumi's mother, said she "will never give up" until her daughter returns to Japan, urging Ishiba to arrange summit talks with North Korea.
© KYODO
31 Comments
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sakurasuki
How many Japanese leader that already made similar pledges in the past?
deanzaZZR
Great start. Begin with one of the classic conservative storylines.
Alfie Noakes
You can always tell there's an election in the offing when these poor, sad families are dragged out of the closet and their grief paraded around for LDP votes.
gokai_wo_maneku
The abductees have been there for so long, maybe they have made a life for themselves over there and don't want to come back.
Hello Kitty 321
The live ones have already come back
Tamarama
No chance.
Jayel
I feel sorry for these families being used to bolster support for the LDP. It's disgusting.
thaonephil
empty promise that Ishiba has no idea about how to fulfill (and probably no interest either).
Always?
Bring our people home now!
Always?
And how would you resolve the issue?????????????????
Speed
Every administration since the 90s has made this pledge. With hardly any, if not any, diplomatic ties to that country, I don't see how this will happen.
smithinjapan
Sheesh... here we go. Already pandering to the audience for popularity with things he KNOWS he is never going to do. Is there an election coming up or something? The poor families of the abductees!
CaptDingleheimer
Good luck with that.
burgers and beers
Alfie is spot on. Like clockwork.
Garthgoyle
Buahahahaha! He officially passed the first PM's trial :D
Simon Foston
Always?Today 08:05 am JST
A more pertinent question is how Ishiiba is going to do it, but the answer is he isn't.
Japantime
First thing they need to do is talk to the other country. They won’t even do that, so good luck with that promise.
OssanAmerica
Unless PM Ishiba has some idea up his sleeve that he's not disclosing, I think this is very unlikely to happen.
BigP
Election season rhetoric.
Jennie
Maybe there’s a manual for the newly elected PM’s to do list.
indigo
just communication propaganda. just an excuse to tease NK and increase military budget, indeed why Japan Gov does not care about foreigner disappearance or killed in japan???
as economy is falling , japan is trying to find a scapegoat. the same BS routine..............
tamanegi
25 Prime Ministers since the 1970s and 25 pledges...
shogun36
Oh good.
Start off your PM reign with the same hot air BS every single PM before you has done for the last 40+ years.
SO much for "change" huh Ishi?
Lady, we feel for you. But It's over, you gotta move on already.
wallace
A very sad merry-go-round and a pledge no PM can keep.
Abe234
I just want to say STOP IT. Your giving false hope to the families, and it's just politicking, and it I suppose it gets air time.
Burning Bush
Miracles can happen. Christmas is coming after all.
Desert Tortoise
It takes two to tango and I don't think His Corpulence in Pyongyang is even a tiny bit interested in dancing.
wallace
Your Christmas hasn't come in more than 40 years. There ain't no Santa on the Evening Train. Captain Beefheart.
Mr Kipling
Any abductees still in North Korea are long dead. Deep down they know this but either can't face the reality or just want to use the issue to drum up support. In the end it is just a sad story with no happy ending.
Yun22
wallaceToday 11:46 am JST
Wallace--you seem familiar from when I posted here long ago. How have you been?
You used Zichi as your name, right Brian? I thought you left here for good. Welcome back.
yaguraMar. 9, 2012 03:26 pm JST
"buraian jichi rorantsu"
Brian Zichi (or Jichi) Lorentz
wallace
No proof of life.
Ricky Kaminski13
If there was some sort of indication that there is cause for optimism and that there is a real stated window of opportunity to get North Koreans to play ball NOW , ( when pretty much all indicators suggest the exact opposite ) then we could all join these poor families with a shared sense of hope and optimism.
but ,
if this is just the same sort of pre-election, cruel and empty promising it is nothing but a disgrace and bordering on reprehensible. Are we already getting a glimpse of what Ishiba is made of ?
Ishibasan, wanna be taken seriously work behind the scenes, make it happen THEN hold your press conference.