Abe briefs abductees’ relatives about Trump-Kim summit

March 7, 2019

Tokyo--Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Wednesday briefed relatives of Japanese nationals abducted to North Korea decades ago about last week's U.S.-North Korea summit, noting that U.S. President Donald Trump took up the abduction issue during the meeting.

Abe told the relatives at a meeting in the prime minister's office that the government will continue to take every opportunity to resolve the abduction issue.

He also expressed his determination to hold a face-to-face meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

"We're pinning hopes on the (prime minister's) determination," Shigeo Iizuka, who leads a group of the abductees' families, said.

Sakie Yokota, the mother of abductee Megumi, called for directly discussing the issue with the North Korean leader to move the situation forward. Jiji Press