Ex-abductee Hasuike urges govt to resolve abduction issue early

September 24, 2017

KUSATSU, SHIGA PREF.- Kaoru Hasuike, a Japanese abduction victim, on Saturday called on the government to resolve the issue of abductions by North Korea at an early date.

Family members of abductees have reached their limits mentally and in terms of age, Hasuike, 59, said in a speech in the city of Kusatsu, Shiga Prefecture, western Japan. He is among the five Japanese nationals who returned home in October 2002 after living in North Korea as abductees for more than two decades.

"The nuclear and missile (issues) may be also important, but the abduction issue must be resolved without any further delay," Hasuike stressed.

Because of the abduction, he was robbed of his dreams for the future and bonds with his family in Japan, Hasuike said. "I had no choice but to give up returning home."

Hasuike showed sympathy for the families of abductees still waiting for their loved ones to return from North Korea. "The families suffer more" than former abductees, he said.

On growing tensions over North Korea, Hasuike said the time for dialogue will surely come in the not-so-distant future, because the country will be in "a deadlock" after a hydrogen bomb threat.

The government should prepare for an opportunity to reach a deal on the abduction issue, Hasuike said, proposing that the government consider giving rewards, such as technical assistance to ease electricity shortages, for the return home of remaining abductees. Jiji Press