Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Monday that Tokyo will keep pressing North Korea to quickly provide detailed report on its investigation into the fate of Japanese citizens abducted by its agents decades ago.
Speaking to reporters at Tokyo's airport before his departure to New York for the UN General Assembly, Abe said, "Japan's demand is the early return of all abductees, and North Korea has promised to carry out a thorough investigation. Therefore, I hope the North will speedily inform Japan on the progress." Last week, North Korea told Japan that its full-scale investigation into Japanese nationals abducted by the North and other missing Japanese is proceeding, but still in its initial stage. It also said the entire probe will take around a year.
Pyongyang's preliminary report was initially expected to be released between late summer and early autumn, but the timing of the report is now unclear. "We will seek North Korea's speedy and detailed reports. It is important that the North will give us an explanation with sincerity," he said.
Japan lifted part of its sanctions on North Korea in July in return for Pyongyang's reopening of the investigation into the whereabouts of Japanese citizens it abducted in the 1970s and 1980s. The abduction issue has prevented Tokyo and Pyongyang from normalizing relations.
The premier, who took office in December 2012, has vowed to resolve the issue during his tenure.
Japan officially lists 17 nationals as having been abducted by North Korean agents, mostly to train as spies, but believes there are more cases.
In 2002, the North returned five of the 17, but Japan continues to seek the return of the remaining 12 people. Of the 12, the North claims eight have died and four others never entered the country. In addition, the Japanese National Police Agency said the number of victims suspected to have been abducted by North Korea exceeds 880.