Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi expressed strong determination to achieve a breakthrough on the issue of Japanese nationals abducted by North Korea, pledging to use all options, including summit talks, to resolve the long-standing matter during her term in office [1, 2]. "Whatever it takes, I will resolve the abduction issue by making a breakthrough during my time," Takaichi said, adding the government was tackling the issue with "a determination not to miss the slightest chance of making concrete progress as soon as possible, even by a day or an hour" [1].
The Japanese government officially lists 17 citizens as having been abducted by North Korea during the 1970s and 1980s, when they were reportedly kidnapped by North Korean agents [1, 2]. Five abductees were returned to Japan in 2002 following the first-ever summit between then Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and North Korean leader Kim Jong Il in Pyongyang. The last summit between the two nations took place in 2004 [1, 2].
North Korea maintains the abduction issue has been resolved, a stance rejected by Tokyo [1]. Families of abductees have continued pressing the government for action. Sakie Yokota, mother of Megumi Yokota, who disappeared at age 13 in 1977 and has become a symbol of the abduction crisis, said the family has no information about the abductees' situation and hopes they are alive. She urged the government to secure their return as soon as possible, stating: "Had the Japanese government acted sooner, all of them could have returned" [1].
Megumi’s brother, Takuya Yokota, who leads abductees’ family members, emphasized the need to persistently confront North Korea. "We need to keep on confronting North Korea without letting go of anger," he said [1].
Hitomi Soga, one of the five abductees returned in 2002, called for hope that her mother, who was abducted alongside her in 1978, could also be brought back to Japan [1].
Prime Minister Takaichi’s pledge at a rally on May 30 to find a resolution puts renewed focus on a diplomatic issue frozen since the last Japan-North Korea summit in 2004 [1, 2].
