Takaichi Reiterates Willingness to Meet with N. Korean Leader

Tokyo, Feb. 16 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Monday reiterated her willingness to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to resolve the issue of Japanese nationals abducted to the reclusive country decades ago. “I want to achieve a breakthrough and produce concrete results,” Takaichi said during a meeting with a group of families of the abductees and a group supporting them. The two groups handed Takaichi a campaign policy document stating that they would not oppose the lifting of sanctions on North Korea or negotiations on the normalization of diplomatic relations with the country if all Japanese abductees are returned. Takuya Yokota, head of the family group and the younger brother of Megumi, an iconic abductee, referred to the ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s landslide victory in the Feb. 8 general election, saying that North Korea could view the Takaichi administration as a stable and credible counterpart. “We’ll fully support the prime minister’s diplomacy,” Yokota said. Megumi’s mother, Sakie, who turned 90 this year, called for help to rescue the abductees. The family group requested that the abduction issue be discussed at a Japan-U.S. summit scheduled for next month. Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said at a press conference later that the government will closely cooperate with the United States on the issue. Meanwhile, Takaichi wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that she is “determined to face” a summit with the North Korean leader to “imagine a future in which Japan and North Korea enjoy peace and prosperity together.” END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]