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Japan is responsible for resolving the abduction issue, not the United States or the international community.

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Takuya Yokota, a younger brother of Megumi Yokota, who was abducted by North Korean agents in 1978. He was speaking at a gathering of relatives of Japanese nationals abducted by North Korea decades ago. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida Fumio, who attended the gathering on Sunday, said the U.S. President Joe Biden had expressed his support for a resolution to the matter during their summit last week..

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After the war Japan has no power to solve the issue by itself, which is the whole reason it is making appeals to the international community.

-7 ( +2 / -9 )

Remember Koizumi?

Guy sat in plane flew to Pyongyang took people back home.

Kishida definitely cant do same thing.

For many good reasons.

Japan need to recognize DPRK and vice versa ,start normal relationship and solve own problems directly.

-1 ( +4 / -5 )

It is actually a good sentiment. Wanting other people to solve your own issues is never a good strategy. Bringing the latest American President in to talk with the families is all just cruel kabuki anyway. I wonder what measures Yokotasan, or any other Japanese politician for that matter, has in mind? Bringing the yanks in all the time will only strengthen North Koreas resolve NOT to cooperate. What sort of bilateral agreements would or could be possible with a despot though? It sadly seems this will never be resolved.

7 ( +7 / -0 )

Japan is responsible for resolving the abduction issue, not the United States or the international community.

Well said. However, I don't ever recall the LDP acting responsibly. EVER. And when it comes to the abduction issue, they only bring out this issue when its politically expedient.

-1 ( +9 / -10 )

@Aly Rustom

As Eastman said, Koizumi traveled to North Korea arranged for the return of the living abductees and tried to normalize relations, but Abe undid all his good work.

5 ( +7 / -2 )

Hello Kitty 321Today  05:58 pm JST

@Aly Rustom

As Eastman said, Koizumi traveled to North Korea arranged for the return of the living abductees and tried to normalize relations, but Abe undid all his good work.

Did you know Koizumi was about to return 5 abductees back to NK as it was ordered by NK?

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

It's amazing to me that Japan will bend over backwards to make the world aware of its victimization and try to get them to help out, or at least express sympathy for it (like laying wreaths at Hiroshima despite them coming for an economics forum or something), but then run around with police-like enforcers to other nations demanding references to any and all Japanese atrocities, sexual slavery, etc, be removed from textbooks or what have you. Mr. Yokota is correct -- it is up to Japan to resolve this, or at least to work to resolve it (obviously it's also up to North Korea), not other nations. I don't think they are really interested in that, though... after all, if the issue is resolved, who can they drag the Yokota and others in front of the cameras before election season to make promises they will forget immediately after?

-1 ( +3 / -4 )

The abduction issue is pure domestic political theater. Abe used it to become PM the first time. There has been zero progress in over 20 years of using the families of the abducted as a political football. It is not 1970 any longer, fifty years gone now. Abe's exploitation of this issue is criminal.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Hello Kitty 321May 31  05:58 pm JST

@Aly Rustom

As Eastman said, Koizumi traveled to North Korea arranged for the return of the living abductees and tried to normalize relations, but Abe undid all his good work.

Abe undid a lot of things

-3 ( +0 / -3 )

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