Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato on Tuesday called for global support to ensure the return of victims of North Korean abductions
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 29th June, 2021) Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato on Tuesday called for global support to ensure the return of victims of North Korean abductions.
"The abductions issue is a critical issue concerning the sovereignty of Japan and the lives and safety of Japanese citizens...we will do our utmost without missing any opportunities to ensure that all abductees return home as soon as possible," Kato was quoted by Kyodo as saying at an online symposium on North Korean abduction at the United Nations.
The official also expressed hope that the symposium "will intensify momentum within the international community to demand the resolution of the abductions issue as a global issue."
The annual event, which was jointly hosted by Japan and its western allies, had in attendance relatives of Japanese, American, Romanian, and Thai nationals believed to have been taken by Pyongyang, the media reported.
Japan claims North Korea abducted 17 Japanese citizens in the 1970s and 1980s. In 2002, North Korea admitted its agents abducted 13 Japanese citizens but denied involvement in any other disappearances. Five of the abductees were returned to their families in the same year, while North Korea claimed that eight others had perished. Japan, on the other hand, believes North Korea is responsible for other disappearances.
