Hello and welcome to the details of Japan’s PM Takaichi seeks meeting with Kim Jong Un over citizens abducted in the 70s to train spies and now with the details
Nevin Al Sukari - Sana'a - Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi takes questions during a press conference after the 2025 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) Economic Leaders’ Meeting in Gyeongju on November 1, 2025. — AFP pic
TOKYO, Nov 3 — Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said today she has requested to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to resolve the long-standing issue of Japanese nationals abducted by Pyongyang decades ago.
After years of denial, North Korea admitted in 2002 that its agents had kidnapped 13 Japanese nationals in the 1970s and 80s, who were used to train Pyongyang’s spies in Japanese language and customs.
Tokyo believes North Korea abducted at least 17 Japanese nationals, while others say many more might have been taken to Pyongyang.
Takaichi told an awareness event on the issue in Tokyo that she had requested a summit meeting with Kim Jong Un.
“In order to build a new, fruitful relation between Japan and North Korea, I am resolved to meet face-to-face with Chairman Kim Jong Un,” she said.
Pyongyang has not yet publicly responded to Takaichi’s request.
Several Japanese leaders have tried — but so far failed — to hold direct talks with Kim over the issue.
Former prime minister Junichiro Koizumi visited Pyongyang in 2002 and 2004, where he met with the North’s then-leader Kim Jong Il, father of Kim Jong Un, and negotiated the return of five of the victims.
The North claimed at the time that the remaining eight were dead.
Takaichi’s predecessor, Shigeru Ishiba, suggested setting up liaison offices in Tokyo and Pyongyang to move the issue forward, but they were never materialised.
Meanwhile, Japan has courted the US, and especially President Donald Trump, in order to maintain international attention on the subject.
“I will use any means necessary for this issue with the lives of the victims and our national sovereignty at stake,” Takaichi said.
“The abduction is the priority of my cabinet,” she added, echoing the pledges of past prime ministers. — AFP
These were the details of the news Japan’s PM Takaichi seeks meeting with Kim Jong Un over citizens abducted in the 70s to train spies for this day. We hope that we have succeeded by giving you the full details and information. To follow all our news, you can subscribe to the alerts system or to one of our different systems to provide you with all that is new.
It is also worth noting that the original news has been published and is available at Malay Mail and the editorial team at AlKhaleej Today has confirmed it and it has been modified, and it may have been completely transferred or quoted from it and you can read and follow this news from its main source.
