The government on Saturday reaffirmed its commitment to resolving the long-standing issue of Japanese citizens abducted by North Korea decades ago, with Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara stressing its urgency.
¡°The abduction issue is not history, but an ongoing matter that must be solved now,¡± Kihara, who also serves as minister in charge of the abduction issue, said at a government-hosted symposium in Tokyo.
Under Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, ¡°I would exhaust every possible means to secure a resolution,¡± he said. ¡°I intend to be the last minister responsible for this issue.¡±
Koichiro Iizuka, secretary-general of a group of families of abductees to North Korea, said, ¡°The abduction issue and the problem of Pyongyang¡¯s nuclear and missile development programs should be separated, and the abduction issue should be addressed as the top priority.¡±
Iizuka appealed for a reunion with his mother, Yaeko Taguchi, who was abducted at age 22 when he was one year old.
After the symposium, Takuya Yokota, head of a family group, told reporters that he was encouraged by the prime minister¡¯s comment that she would ¡°not limit the means¡± to achieve a breakthrough.
Yokota, whose sister Megumi was abducted at age 13, said he hopes the Takaichi administration will work toward realizing a Japan-North Korea summit.
The event was held to coincide with Japan¡¯s North Korea human rights abuses awareness week, which will run through Tuesday.
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