Abe expresses hope for resolution of N Korean threats, abduction issue

As long as Japan continues to whitewash and deny its own atrocities, neither North Korean or South Korea (even with many more SK citizens having been abducted by NK) will take Japan's abduction issue seriously.

"South Korean will also have no doubt promised buckets of aid and investment on the premise that the summit went well."

Your right south Korea will sink billions into North Korea but with Economic sanctions still in place. I wonder what will happen with South Korean Money?

In the meantime, Japan will focus on South East Asia and India. (The Malaysian PM was in Tokyo asking for Investment. ) Japan will build on the TPP and the EU free trade agreement. Mexcio and Canada will also be in Tokyo.

So South Korea gets North Korea. China gets North Korea and Russia. North Korea 20 million poor people and Russia an economic Basket case.

Japan gets the EU, North America, India, and South East Asia. Ok fair trade. Shinzo Abe and Japan wins big LOL. Who needs the Koreans both North and South and China?

Japan really had it in for North Korea when the anti-NK was in full swing soIt is doubtful that the North Koreans will accept any type of overture from Japan now that the US is on the road to normalizing relations.

South Korean will also have no doubt promised buckets of aid and investment on the premise that the summit went well.

And then there are brightening relations with Russia and China to top off the icing on the cake!

Japan is the last man in the race and is likely to be ignored for the foreseeable future.

Japan wrong footed again....

So here is a still young Swiss educated stalinist leader of half a country who looks around and acknowledges the backwardness of his chiefdom at last. 

Still a long way to bring the Koreas together, especially when the neighbors aren‘t really supportive.

"After all, Yokota Megumi's own daughter would confirm her mother died but Japanese government won't believe in Megumi's daughter's account."

BS and You know it. North Korea insists that Yokota killed herself in 1994, but the DNA that was presented proved not to be Yokota's.

Moreoever, the daughter still lives in North Korea. She was never allowed to leave North Korea. She told by North Korea says Megumi died or else.

Ricky Kaminski - Just imagine if those people were still alive and were actually returned to Japan as a direct result of Trumps deal making skills. Wouldn't it be grand. A whole new chapter would open for the region and another chapter finally put to rest. Its nice to be optimistic sometimes too. The world is full of infinite potential, if only we could just realise it.

And, just imagine if those rose colored glasses were the answer to all the world's political and religious issues. Excuse me, I have to feed my unicorn now.

Ricky: "A whole new chapter would open for the region and another chapter finally put to rest."

And just imagine pigs could fly.

"Its nice to be optimistic sometimes too."

There is a difference between optimism and just being suckered.

Just imagine if those people were still alive and were actually returned to Japan as a direct result of Trumps deal making skills. Wouldn't it be grand. A whole new chapter would open for the region and another chapter finally put to rest. Its nice to be optimistic sometimes too. The world is full of infinite potential, if only we could just realise it.

bass4funk: "...but the main thing is getting to this point and to even get the two men in the same room is in itself a monumental effort."

Yeah, or not. Get ready for the announcement of a Trump hotel being constructed in NK, probably with Russian companies doing the construction to boot. Notice how it was a secret document signed?

Once again, extremely sad how the Japanese government has given false hope to the kin of the abductees. Trump doesn't care about his allies -- he proved that more than ever at the G6 + 1 summit -- and there is NO WAY he is going to bring this up and risk tarnishing his chance at demanding to be called the only US president to reach an agreement with NK. He brings up abduction, and once again Japan will have succeeded in derailing talks. So, again, it will not be mentioned, and Abe will be left having to explain to the right-wing why his vow to resolve the issue won't even have been addressed in the least, why he now has to cooperate with NK via the US, and why he has BEGGED the US, like a dog nipping at its master's heels, to give the country favor but still been ignored despite promising economic cooperation.

Abe should stop making this a popularity point and just accept that unless he offers something aside from threats, and works on a genuine bilateral summit, the issue will be ignored by NK and seen as "resolved".

Such sarcastic comments, why not be positive, hoping for a good productive summit.

The abduction issues are over. Megumi's daughter lives in Mongolia and her mother is dead .

Yo big brother! It’s shameful that japan is relying on ‘big brother’ to address the issue of their kudnapped citizens. It’s onky because Japanese politicians do not have the tact to address the issue directly. If I were Trump I would tell Japan to get stuffed and sort it out yourselves.

Eventually, it will be, but that will come way, way later, but the main thing is getting to this point and to even get the two men in the same room is in itself a monumental effort. Japan needs to be patient.

it won't. you need to worry more about missiles flying over your country not pandering about something that happened over 4 decades ago

Hoping... Japan is hoping another country will care about them? How much money is this costing tax payers for pay another country to do the work Abe should be doing?

I don't trust his promise.

I feel so peaceful when Abe has his mouth shut.

trump doesn't care about the abduction of japanese citizens by the DPRK. he doesn't care about human right's abuses in the hermit kingdom. he doesn't even care about denuclearization. he only cares about being historic.

historically good. historically bad. it's all the same to him. he just wants to be remembered as the FIRST american 'president' to meet with the leader of N. Korea. he could care less about whether the meetings bear fruit so long as he can escape blame if anything goes wrong and take the credit if something goes right.

if you have been listening carefully to his statements leading up to the summit it's always "this will happen or it won't". statements of the obvious that the dullards who follow him lap up as sage wisdom. what's missing from all of his pronouncements is any clear strategy, contingencies, recognition of the dire consequences which could result from his "winging it".

Trump is not going to talk about the abductiin issue in the summit. He doesn't care about human rights anyway. He would say in the meeing Abe wants to talk with you (Kim) about something, so make summit with Abe someday, will you? That would be all.

I’d question wether Abe really wants a solution to the abducted Japanese or wants to hold up North Korea as a threat in order to justify the spending on weaponry and the military?

I have no question about that whatsoever! Without that card, Abe has very little leverage with the NK scare-monster.

The rest of unaccounted missing persons claimed by Japan, Japan would have a better luck searching in Japan than in North Korea.

Something like 100,000 people in Japan go missing every year (since 1990). Is the same amount of effort being put into finding these 100,000 people? What if trump bringing up this topic at this summit turns out to be the straw that breaks the camel's back, so to speak, and makes Kim walk away from any denuclearization deal.

The main point of the summit is to ease the risk of a nuclear war. And Abe/Japanese people are concerned about 20 or so abductees that may or may not already be dead? Quite petty IMO.

If Abe (and the previous PM's) had wanted this issue resolved they would have done it years ago.

I don't think they really do. It's just politics at work.

Am I the only one who thinks Trump got keen on meeting with Kim again, after a brief cancellation or pause, so that he'd have an excuse to leave the G7 summit early? The timing is quite close.

This isn't America's problem and I'm guessing Abe has done some back room deal in order for Trump to bring this up!

That's why Abe went (again) to"urge" Trump and give offerings (fealty payments)of new jobs for the American economy to get Trump to play along.

Well, if Trump guarantees it 100%, then I'm sure it will happen....unless he does the exact opposite of what he says he will do, which is what usually happens.

They don't call him bait-and-switch Don for nothing.

Dear Shinzo,

Mr. Trump also promised to defeat ISIS within 30 days, so don’t get your hopes up.

was kidnapped at age 13 on her way home from school in Niigata Prefecture in 1977

1977 folks. Instead of pointing fingers at just NoKo, why not blame the equally inept ldp government that kicked the can downhill? It's like living in bizzaro world.

At minimum I hope this is the beginning of ongoing dialogues among all parties. Hats off to all involved in for getting to this stage.

@yub Kim looks happier than the proverbial "pig in guano". He has just got to be loving having the spotlight on him!

At minimum the spotlights shined on this historic event will further increase the value of brand Kim in Korea and brand Trump throughout the world. Perhaps that's been the primary reason bringing both to Singapore.

Abe do your own negotiation! This isn't America's problem and I'm guessing Abe has done some back room deal in order for Trump to bring this up!

Trump's promises are worth nothing and neither are Empty Suit Shinzo's.

I’d question wether Abe really wants a solution to the abducted Japanese or wants to hold up North Korea as a threat in order to justify the spending on weaponry and the military?

Abe has done nothing. Japan has done nothing since Koizumi was leader. It's quite clear what the answer is to that question.

This is an issue between Kim and Abe. All member nations of the six party talks have already met with Kim except Abe. Abe should have met with Kim a long time ago, but now he's watching from the sidelines betting on Trump. Trump could bring up the subject, but will not let it be a show stopper. If Kim rejects discussing this, Abe will be left out in the rain holding the umbrella for both Kim and Trump! What a joke.

I fully believe in North Korean account of Japanese abductees.

Kim Jong Il had no reasons to lie, since he believed that then-PM Koizumi was about to offer $20 billion in cash compensation as a part of diplomatic normalization.

The rest of unaccounted missing persons claimed by Japan, Japan would have a better luck searching in Japan than in North Korea.

After all, Yokota Megumi's own daughter would confirm her mother died but Japanese government won't believe in Megumi's daughter's account.

Probable conversation during the summit.

Trump : "This Abe fella keeps bugging me about this Japanese abductee issues".

Kim : "We already fully accounted for the fate of every Japanese abductee back in 2002. It is up to Japan to face this reality."

Trump : "Ok, that's done. Silly of this Abe fella not believing in a good man like you. Now let us talk about the Trump Casino project at the Ski Resort that you are so fond of".

what was that 1972? Come on denuclearizing is much more important and current

U.S. President Donald Trump has promised that the issue of North Korea's past abductions of Japanese nationals will be raised "100 percent". Let's see how much will be this "100 percent". LED from Japan to illuminate all NK night hours will be cheaper, I guess.

Kim looks happier than the proverbial "pig in guano". He has just got to be loving having the spotlight on him!

@oldman_13 - agree!

The only reason Donald Trump would ever bring up this issue is if he thought he would make him look good. When are people going to learn that Donald Trump cares for no one but himself.

Trump promises a lot but, like a goldfish, cannot seem to remember moments later what he had promised. I would take this with a huge grain of salt.

Also, let us not forget that Kim is a dictator inbred with the most vicious of characteristics. His goal is to extract maximum concessions while ensuring the perpetuary of his regime. Fortunately for him, he seems to have found a soulmate in Trump.

Well, if Trump guarantees it 100%, then I'm sure it will happen....unless he does the exact opposite of what he says he will do, which is what usually happens.

For domestic consumption folks.

I agree with oldman_13, their suffering is terrible to watch, but this is not the place to bring up the abductees. I Trump going to bat for any other country? It just makes Japan look small and weak that they need such an occasion to bring up their own personal problem with the North. Interesting that it is now reported that it will only be Trump and Kim plus two interpreters in the room, so we will never know what is discussed or how it played out. I guess Donnie is really paranoid about leaks, so this is one way to avoid any!

Trump has brought up the abductees publicly a number of times so I think he will more than likely follow through with his pledge. Ultimately it’s Japan’s (Abe) issue to resolve. Japan will be expected to give something in exchange for a resolution. Trump cannot do that for the Japanese.

President Trump will get it done if Kim is for real.

Exactly!

Why couldn’t Abe have met with Kim years ago to solve this issue?

I’d question wether Abe really wants a solution to the abducted Japanese or wants to hold up North Korea as a threat in order to justify the spending on weaponry and the military?

Abe, Trump and Kim do not think the abduction issue important. For Trump and Kim of course and for Abe it is a pretension.

Thank you President Trump. You have won the heart and respect of all Japanese. Kim-san looks very happy. I think this Summit will be huge success and win-win for all sides.

Ugh, but why?

Unlike some, I don't discount the genuine suffering of those who have been abducted to North Korea, and their families.

However, there is a time and place for that, and this meeting is not the time and place.