Concise and straight to the point, Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said during an administration publicity radio program broadcast yesterday that the completion of the following will resolve the issue on abduction by North Korea of Japanese citizens in the 1970s and 1980s: (1) All survivors should be immediately returned to Japan, (2) full disclosure should be made of the truth over the missing victims, and (3) perpetrators of this abduction should be extradited to Japan.
In 2002, the North Korean government returned five of the abductees back to Japan. According to Pyongyang, the other Japanese have either already died or have never entered their country. They insist that the issue of abduction has already been resolved. Obviously, Japan is not convinced. In the radio show, Abe said that the unresolved abduction issue is one of the reasons why he ran for prime minister again. “My mission won’t be complete until the day comes when all (of the abductees’ families) can hug their children in their own arms.”
Abe has always taken a hard-line approach when it comes to dealing with North Korea. He now plans to improve the abduction issue headquarters in the latter part of the month to create a better course for the new policy. He is also taking into consideration imposing independent sanctions against North Korea for the December 12 rocket launch that was opposed by the world and was seen in fact as a weapons test.