Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has expressed her desire to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to resolve the long-standing issue of Japanese citizens abducted by Pyongyang several decades ago. On Monday, she said she has formally requested a meeting with the North Korean leader.
After years of denial, North Korea in 2002 admitted for the first time that its agents had abducted 13 Japanese citizens in the 1970s and 1980s. These individuals were allegedly used to teach Japanese language and culture to North Korean spies.
Japan believes that at least 17 of its citizens were abducted, though many say the real number could be higher. Speaking at an awareness event in Tokyo dedicated to the issue, Takaichi said she has proposed holding a summit with Kim Jong Un.
She stated that she is determined to hold a face-to-face meeting with Kim to build a “new and productive relationship” between Japan and North Korea. Pyongyang has yet to publicly respond to her proposal.
Multiple Japanese leaders have previously attempted to meet Kim Jong Un, but none have succeeded. Former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi visited Pyongyang in 2002 and 2004, meeting then-leader Kim Jong Il—Kim Jong Un’s father—to discuss the return of five abductees.
North Korea claimed that eight of the abducted individuals had already died. Takaichi’s predecessor, Shigeru Ishiba, proposed establishing liaison offices in Tokyo and Pyongyang to address the issue, but the plan was never implemented.
Japan has long worked closely with the United States—especially with President Donald Trump—to keep the abductions issue on the international agenda. During his visit to Tokyo last week, Trump met with the families of abducted Japanese citizens.
Takaichi said, “I am prepared to take all necessary actions when it comes to the lives of the victims and our national sovereignty. Resolving the abduction issue is the highest priority of my Cabinet.”
