Jul 06, 2018 (NHK) - Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has expressed determination to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to resolve the issue of the North's abductions of Japanese.
Abe was speaking at a meeting with former abductee Hitomi Soga, whose mother is still unaccounted for after the two were abducted by North Korean agents decades ago.
Soga said she feels sad every time she thinks of the abductees left in the North and their families in Japan, as both are getting old. She asked Abe for more support for the families.
Abe said he's determined to meet Kim to try to resolve the issue, but that doing so may not be easy.
Abe also said Japan and the North must end their mutual distrust and start new diplomacy.
The meeting was also attended by mayors of 3 Japanese cities where former abductees live after returning from the North.
The mayors urged the central government to take the initiative in direct negotiations with Pyongyang to resolve the issue as soon as possible.
Last month, Abe met the leader and other members of a group of abductees' relatives.
