Abe told N. Korea of Japan’s positions on pending issues

February 13, 2018

Tokyo- Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Tuesday he has told North Korea's second-highest-ranking official about Japan's positions on the reclusive country's abductions of Japanese nationals and its nuclear and missile development programs.

Abe said he took up these issues and explained Japan's views to Kim Yong Nam, president of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly of North Korea, during a reception for the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics in South Korea on Friday.

"In particular, I urged him, strongly and directly, to resolve the abduction issue, including the return home of all abductees," Abe said at a House of Representatives Budget Committee meeting, which also brought together related ministers.

The remark was made in reply to a question by Masahiko Shibayama of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party.

Regarding his talks with South Korean President Moon Jae-in in Pyeongchang on Friday, Abe said he reiterated Japan's request to the South Korean government to implement the 2015 bilateral accord to "finally and irreversibly" resolve the issue of so-called former comfort women in South Korea, who were forced into prostitution for Japanese troops before and during World War II.

In January, Moon criticized the deal and called on the Japanese government to offer a heartfelt apology to former comfort women.

"We can't construct a future-oriented bilateral relationship unless we make a decision while accepting some criticism," Abe said.

On his meeting with Moon, Abe also said, "We agreed to work closely with the United States to maximize pressure so North Korea will seek dialogue with us."

In reply to a question by Akira Nagatsuma, acting leader of the opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, the prime minister said he has not made any decision yet on the appointment of the next Bank of Japan governor to succeed Haruhiko Kuroda, whose five-year term will end on April 8.

At the Lower House committee meeting, Finance Minister Taro Aso said the National Tax Agency has received complaints against its commissioner, Nobuhisa Sagawa, over a controversial state land sale to Osaka-based private school operator Moritomo Gakuen.

Sagawa, then director-general of the Finance Ministry's Financial Bureau, repeatedly insisted in parliament that records of negotiations on the land sale at a massive discount had been destroyed. On Friday, however, the ministry released 20 new internal documents related to the land sale.

Aso said he has not heard that the complaints had caused any particular problem in the agency's taxation work.

Nagatsuma requested that Sawaga be summoned to parliament to make sworn testimony.

Aso said the new documents were related to legal consultations and not records of any meeting, defending Sagawa's claim.

The Board of Audit of Japan said the new documents were not reflected in its review report released in November last year as they were not submitted until late December.

The comments were made in response to questions by such lawmakers as Masato Imai of the Party of Hope. Jiji Press