Japanese Prime Minister, Sanae Takaichi has announced that she wants to hold a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
Speaking at a rally demanding the return of Japanese citizens who were abducted by North Korea decades ago, Takaichi said, “We have already conveyed to North Korea our desire to hold a summit meeting.”
“I want the leaders to face each other directly and achieve concrete results. I am determined to break through and resolve the abduction issue during my tenure.”
Sanae Takaichi
She vowed to “find a breakthrough at all costs,” and “never miss any opportunity to realize the early return” of the abductees. She designated the abduction issue as a “top priority” for her administration.
“To resolve the abduction issue, it is most important for our country to take proactive action.
“Regarding this problem, which concerns both the lives of the abductees and our nation’s sovereignty, I am prepared to consider all possible measures.”
Sanae Takaichi
The issue is one of the unresolved pain points between the two neighbors divided by sea, whose long history of colonization and conflict has doomed previous attempts at bilateral talks.
Japan says at least 17 of its citizens were snatched by North Korean agents in the late 1970s and 1980s. Five citizens were returned in 2002. According to a 2014 UN report, the abductions appear to have been part of North Korea’s espionage program.
Pyongyang disputes the total number taken and says that some died in traffic and drowning accidents, as well as suicide, and it considers the matter over.
Takaichi has met with the abductees’ families twice since taking office, including once with US President Donald Trump during his visit to Japan.
She has previously said she’s committed to completing the mission of her mentor, former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who introduced the abductees’ families to Trump during the US President’s first term.
Japan and North Korea held an unprecedented summit in 2002, with Japan’s then-Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi visiting the North Korean capital Pyongyang to meet Kim Jong Il – the father of now-leader Kim Jong Un. That visit was the first time a Japanese Prime Minister visited North Korea since the end of WWII.
It was also the first time North Korea acknowledged its role in the abductions, after many years of denial. Kim Jong Il offered an apology at the time, saying the agents responsible had been punished, and promised to prevent it happening again, according to Japanese government statements at the time.
The five detainees were returned to Japan the following month and reunited with their families; 20 to 30 years after their abduction. Koizumi returned to North Korea to meet Kim Jong Il a second time in 2004, during which the family members of several abductees were also allowed to return to Japan.
No further repatriations have happened since then and no progress has been made in talks between the two countries, despite repeated efforts by successive governments.
The families of Japanese abductees who remain missing, along with Japan’s leaders over the years, have continued pressing the issue with little success.
Abe, who was assassinated in 2022, had signaled a willingness to meet Kim Jong Un without conditions to improve ties between their countries; several years later, then-leader Fumio Kishida also conveyed his intention to meet the North Korean leader.Each time, a meeting failed to materialize.
Now Takaichi, who took office after winning an election in October, is inheriting a decades-old problem that stumped her predecessors – and hoping to be the one to solve it.
Takaichi Pressed For Immediate Return Of Abductees
Takuya Yokota, the Head of the family group and whose older sister Megumi was abducted, pressed Takaichi for the “immediate and collective return of all the abductees while the generation of their parents is alive.”
Yokota warned that the families will protest against the government and seek stronger, specific sanctions on North Korea if their demand is not met on time.
Takaichi said at the rally that not only Japan but also North Korea and the international community will greatly benefit if the abduction issue is resolved. “By taking the lead myself and acting boldly, I aim to achieve concrete results,” she added.
Takaichi hopes that a joint meeting will help find concrete solutions and move the abductee case forward, in line with her vision of leadership and a global diplomatic course.
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