Japanese abductees' relatives meet senior US official to seek support
Relatives of Japanese nationals abducted by North Korea met with a senior US State Department official to seek American support for the swift return of the abductees.
The relatives and their supporters met Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau in Washington on Tuesday and held talks for about 30 minutes.
The relatives are Yokota Takuya, who heads a group of abductees' families, and Iizuka Koichiro.
Yokota is a younger brother of Yokota Megumi, who was abducted by North Korean agents at the age of 13.
Iizuka's mother Taguchi Yaeko was taken when he was just a year old.
Yokota said after the meeting that he told Landau that his mother, Yokota Sakie, is now the only surviving parent of the 12 abduction victims identified by the Japanese government who have yet to return home.
The Japanese government has so far recognized 17 citizens as having been abducted by North Korea in the 1970s and 1980s. Five returned home following a Japan-North Korea summit in 2002, but the remaining 12 are still unaccounted for.
During his first term, US President Donald Trump raised the abduction issue in his meetings with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. The Japanese delegation conveyed to the US side its hope that the issue be raised again if another US-North Korea meeting is held.
In response, Landau reportedly indicated that the administration intends to work toward resolving the issue.
The US department announced on Tuesday that Landau "reaffirmed US support for Japan in achieving an immediate resolution of the abductions issue."
The department also said Landau "expressed his condolences for Arimoto Akihiro, who was unable to reunite with his abducted daughter Keiko before he passed away February 15."
Yokota said he asked for Japan and the US to work together to resolve the issue as there is no time left. He added that the meeting was very fruitful.
The delegation said a meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had originally been arranged for Tuesday but did not take place. They said they have requested to meet with him sometime later this week.
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