Rescue Abductees 救う会全国協議会

Govt compromise on abductees? reports Yomiuri

2009-12-20T00:09:00.002+09:00

Japanese government is suspected of making compromises in the demands to North Korea, reports Yomiuri.

Govt compromise on abductees? / Cabinet drops handover of N. Korean abductors from list of demands
The Yomiuri Shimbun

The new government led by Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama has removed the handover of North Korean agents who abducted Japanese citizens from the six-point government policy on the abduction issue, government sources said Tuesday.

Hiroshi Nakai, chairman of the National Public Safety Commission, who is responsible for the abduction issue, said, "Our stance of demanding the handover of the abductors has not changed."

But a fear is spreading among family members of abductees who said that they did not understand the attitude of the Hatoyama administration toward the issue, because the action can be interpreted as a concession to North Korea in future negotiations.

At a meeting in October 2006, the then Liberal Democratic Party-led government's team on the abduction issue decided on a six-point action plan.

They also included implementation of sanctions such as ban on entry to Japanese ports of North Korean ship Man Gyong Bong-92 and collaboration over the issue with the United Nations and other concerned countries.

In June 2008, then Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka Machimura remarked that three demands contained in the six points were essential at the House of Representatives special committee on the abduction issue.

The three demands were the handover of persons who actually conducted the abductions; securing the safety of abductees and their return to Japan; and unveiling the truth about the abduction incidents.

The previous administration regarded the three demands as the bottom line for Japan, points on which there can be no compromise in negotiations with North Korea.

However, handover of the abductors was excluded from among the key points in a Cabinet decision document drawn up on Oct. 13, when the Hatoyama administration decided to set up a new team to deal with abduction issues.

At a session of the lower house special committee on abduction issues held Nov. 26, Keiji Furuya, an LDP lawmaker, pointed out that the handover demand had been dropped.

In reply, Nakai said: "It doesn't mean [the government] has retreated. First of all, we'll work hard to achieve the two main points [return of the abductees and revealing the truth]."

Furuya continued to criticize the move, saying, "You can't avoid criticism that you are acting weakly," but Nakai only repeated that the administration would do its best.

Concerning the Hatoyama administration's policy toward North Korea, DPJ Secretary General Ichiro Ozawa reportedly told the South Korean Democratic Party leader during his visit to Japan last month, "We have to decide how to improve relations between Japan and North Korea without being handcuffed by how to resolve the abduction problem."

Even in the government and among Diet members, some expressed concern that the administration may put higher priority on normalization of diplomatic ties with North Korea.

Teruaki Masumoto, secretary general of the Japanese Association of the Families of Victims Kidnapped by North Korea, said: "Even two months after the power shift, there have been no signs of a start in negotiations with North Korea. In the first place, it seems that the government's policy over the abduction issue has not been firm, and so we feel anxious."

(Dec. 16, 2009)

N. Korea seems open to talks with Japan on abduction issue (Kyodo news)

2009-12-13T17:16:00.001+09:00

◆ N. Korea seems open to talks with Japan on abduction issue: U.S. envoy

TOKYO, Dec. 12 KYODO

North Korea, during recent talks with the top U.S. official on North Korea policy, seemed receptive to holding talks with Japan on the issue of its abductions of Japanese nationals, Japanese Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada quoted the envoy as telling him Saturday.

http://home.kyodo.co.jp/modules/fstStory/index.php?storyid=475508

Abudction Minister against North Korean women’s soccer team entering Japan

2009-12-11T15:15:00.000+09:00

http://www.asahi.com/politics/update/1211/TKY200912110242.html
From Asahi Shimbun article

Abudction Minister against North Korean women’s soccer team entering Japan

Minister Nakai said he was against the North Korean women’s team to enter Japan to compete in the East Asian Women’s Soccer Tournament planned to be held next February in Japan.

Participation of the North Korean team was announced last September, but Minister Nakai was informed several days ago. The reason for banning the team from entering the country was because Japan is imposing sanctions against North Korea, explained the minister. He requested further discussion on this matter.

Meeting with Foreign Minister Okada

2009-12-11T14:41:00.000+09:00

Members from the Association of the Families of Victims Kidnapped by North Korea (AFVKN: “The Families’ Association”), and the National Association for the Rescue of Japanese Kidnapped by North Korea (NARKN: “Rescue Abductees”) met with Japanese foreign minister, Mr. Katsuya Okada on December 9th at the foreign ministry.
(Details of the attendee are listed at the end of the text.)

Mr. Okada:
Two months have passed since I took office. I wanted to meet with you earlier, but we had to wait until today. I received a letter and a book from Yokota-san. More than thirty years have passed since the abduction. Abduction is a national priority and the prime minister shares the same strong will to resolve it. I am working with Minister Nakai to bring the victims back to Japan as early as possible. Let’s have a candid discussion today.

Summary of comments from our members:
- The will to resolve the abduction issue seems to have not changed with the new Democratic government, and we have high hopes. Please promote China and U.S. to send North Korea the message that the North must resolve this issue.
- We must rely on the Japanese government to resolve the issue, but there is strong public support that should be a force for the government’s efforts. We saw strong turnout at our recent meeting that proves strong public support. The change in government could trigger a change to bring the victims back.
- We are here with mixed feelings meeting you in this room (at the foreign ministry). We have met with many foreign ministers in the past in a similar situation. Kim Jong-Il seems to have health conditions and there is a sense of crisis in North Korea. The regime will do anything. They may even kill our family members and bring us there bones as their remains. We urge you to inform the North that Japan can identify when the remains of the individual died.
- We urge you to set a deadline on the ongoing sanction and set a date for progress on this issue. Unless that is met, please show them that Japan will impose additional sanctions
- Shukan Asahi (21.11.27) reported about Hatoyama cabinet office planning a sudden visit in December. Can you tell us anything about that?

Minister Okada:
I am aware of the article. It has no grounds. It’s a product of imagination.

Our members:
- North Korea has only provided false information regarding the death of our families. We urge that the government finds effective communication channels with Kim Jon-Il to demand the release of victims by naming them and have the Japanese government lead the negotiation. North Korea claimed they will re-start the investigation, however, there were no actions taken. They do not need an investigation. They already know everything about the victims. Japanese government should not be fooled by North Korea.
- We urge that you have a clear strategy once North Korea responds to calls for negotiation. We would like another meeting with Kim Hyon-Hee in Japan or in South Korea. We ask that Japanese government takes measures to protect the surviving victims in North Korea.

Minister Okada:
I met with Secretary Clinton in New York. She touched upon the abduction issue and realized that this was a result of your long efforts. I understood that the abduction issue will continue to be a priority under the new Obama administration. Fundamental policy seems to have been kept in the Obama administration. Normalization should be considered as we resolve the issues of abduction, nuclear and missile.
Minster Nakai nominated himself as the minister in charge of abduction. I intend to work closely with him and please understand that the entire foreign ministry is working together to resolve this issue. North Korea’s claims to re-start the investigation last August was a significant event. North Korea is wanting to negotiate with the new Hatoyama government.
Kim Jon-Il seems to have health conditions and time is not on their side either. That is why we should not be rushing. We will confront North Korea with a resolute attitude. Japan is in tandem with U.S. and South Korea in North Korean policy and this should be a threat to the North. I am expecting to hear more information from Mr. Bosworth when he visits Japan.
In regards to the Kim Hyon-Hee’s visit, I will consult with minister Nakai against other priorities.

Our members:
- We maintain our strong support for tougher sanctions. Do you think the sanction is working to put pressure on them? How about the Chinese support to the North?

Minister Okada:
I regret that the government has not yet passed the bill to inspect ship cargo following the U.N. resolution. I hope that the bill gets passed during the next diet sessions. There were comments from the North that they intend to come back to the six-party talks when Prime Minister Wen visited the North. There were some promises for aids. I intend to comment if those aids are beyond what has been agreed in the framework. There are different opinions about further sanctions against the North. If they go back to the August agreement and begin investigation, we must lift part of the sanction. Otherwise, they will use that as an excuse to cancel the investigation. Minister Nakai believes that there opportunities in people exchange and allowing chartered transportation.

Our members:
A journalist commented on TV that number two or three in the foreign ministry claimed that the victims were dead. That story needs to be confirmed.

Minister Okada:
I am not aware who in the ministry claimed that. I don’t think that is true. We are expecting movements from the North. Their willingness for Japan-North Korea negotiation should be getting stronger than it was in last August.

Our members:
They have already failed to keep their words. We should instead be toughening sanctions and lift them when they come back to the negotiation table.

Minister Okada
It is important to have them restart the investigation.

Our members:
- Japan must carefully study the content of their investigation. They may claim that the victims are dead.
- We urge that the government negotiate with the North with the basic assumption that the victims are still alive

Attendees:
From our organizations: Shigeo Iizuka, Shigeru and Sakie Yokota, Akihiro and Kayoko Arimoto, Shichiro Hamamoto, Koichiro Iizuka, Tsutomu Nishioka, and Ryutaro Hirata.
From the government: Minister Katsuya Okada, Tetsuro Fukuyama, Chinami Nishimura, Akitaka Saiki, Hideki Yamaguchi.

JP government determine Kim Jon Il oversaw abductions

2009-11-04T14:29:00.003+09:00

Reports tell us that JP government officially determined that Kim Jon Il were aware of the kidnapping, although he denied his involvement in his meeting with former PM Koizumi.
http://www.asahi.com/english/Herald-asahi/TKY200911030097.html

Kim Jong Il oversaw abduction agency

THE ASAHI SHIMBUN

2009/11/3

Japanese government officials have determined that North Korean leader Kim Jong Il oversaw the Pyongyang agency responsible for abducting Japanese nationals in the 1970s and 1980s, despite Kim's claim he was not involved, sources said.

The officials believe Kim either ordered the abductions or at least was in a position to know about them, the sources said.

When Kim admitted to then Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi in September 2002 that North Korean agents had abducted Japanese nationals, he indicated he had not been connected to the operations.

He said they "were carried out by elements within a special agency that turned toward impulsive, and what they considered heroic, acts." The party had disciplined the agents responsible, Kim said.

This new revelation will make it more difficult for Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama to carry out his plan to normalize relations with North Korea. The outcome of that plan will hinge largely on his ability to resolve the abduction issue, and concurrently make a breakthrough on the issue of North Korea's nuclear weapons and missile development programs.

An overseas intelligence investigation division under the ruling Workers' Party of Korea carried out the abductions of Japanese nationals from the 1970s to the early 1980s.

The investigation by Japanese government officials has determined the division, now called Room 35, reported directly to Kim, who at that time was solidifying his position as eventual successor to his father, Kim Il Sung, who died in 1994.

The division comprised a director and three deputy directors as well as section chiefs, supervisors and agents.

It was made up of seven sections, some of which were assigned to work exclusively on individual countries, such as Japan, South Korea and China.

When they would receive instructions from Kim, the director, deputy directors and section chiefs met for ceremonies at the Workers' Party of Korea headquarters.

At the ceremonies, a document was read that usually began with wording such as "Dear General, Comrade Kim Jong Il made the following observations." The instructions that followed were issued in writing or verbally.

The section chiefs would then relay them to the supervisors and the supervisors to the agents. The party would discipline anyone who disobeyed these orders. Disciplinary measures included dismissing them from their posts and executing them.

Japanese police officials have already determined that Li Wan Gi, former director of the overseas intelligence investigation division, and Kan Hae Yong, a former deputy director of the same division, were involved in the planning and supervision of the abduction of Yasushi Chimura and his wife Fukie, as well as Kaoru Hasuike and his wife Yukiko. The two couples returned to Japan in 2002 along with Hitomi Soga.

Government sources said police officials at one time considered seeking arrest warrants against Li and Kan, but that plan was shelved by people close to then Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda.

According to diplomatic sources, in February 2008, Japanese government officials questioned Choi Un Hee, a South Korean actress who was abducted to North Korea in 1978 and later escaped. Choi said that by the 1970s Kim had taken over management of the government from his father. She believed he gave the order to abduct Japanese nationals.(IHT/Asahi: November 3,2009)

RescueAbductees meet with UK ambassador to Pyongyang

2009-10-24T19:08:00.000+09:00

Members from the Association of the Families of Victims Kidnapped by North Korea (AFVKN: “The Families’ Association”), and the National Association for the Rescue of Japanese Kidnapped by North Korea (NARKN: “Rescue Abductees”) met with Peter Hughes, the UK’s Ambassador to Pyongyang at the British embassy in Tokyo, on October 23, 2009.

Members from our organizations attending the meeting were Shigeo Iizuka, Shigeru and Sakie Yokota, Teruaki Masumoto, Tsutomu Nishioka, and Ryutaro Hirata.

Comments from Ambassador Hughes –
I became the ambassador to Pyongyang thirteen months ago. This is my first visit to Japan since arriving to Pyongyang. I have been exchanging information with the Japanese government on this trip. I have raised the issue of abduction to North Korean officials. I wanted to meet with the relatives of the abductees directly to know more about this issue so that I am able to have deeper talks with Pyongyang officials.

I feel the despair of the family members of the abductees deeply and wish that I know how I could contribute to the resolution of this issue. I am free to go in and out of Pyongyang, but restricted to where I go and with whom I meet. Once I am back in Pyongyang, I would like to demand North Korea to treat this issue seriously and work for an early resolution.

Explanations from members of our organization –
We informed the ambassador on the gravity of this issue and that the victims come from all over the world. The number of known victims and the motives of abduction were shared. Japanese abductees had trained North Korean spies that bombed the South Korean airliner to disguise as Japanese. This is an example of how the victims have been forced to contribute to Pyongyang terrorist activities. We also explained to the ambassador that Pyongyang has been providing false evidence to prove that our family members are dead. Those include false remains and death certificates. We also introduced our free North Korea radio programs where we send information of this side of the world to North Korea. We asked the ambassador for continued support including sharing of information and protection of the victims

Protest against gathering to hail Kim Jon-Il

2009-10-20T17:00:00.002+09:00

Members from the Association of the Families of Victims Kidnapped by North Korea (AFVKN: “The Families’ Association”), and the National Association for the Rescue of Japanese Kidnapped by North Korea (NARKN: “Rescue Abductees”) joined 4 other NGOs to protest against a celebration for North Korean regime held in Tokyo, on Saturday, October 17th.

Here is a report regarding the event:
Demonstration Held Against Silent Chongryon
http://www.dailynk.com/english/read.php?cataId=nk03100&num=5546
More pictures from an individual at the protest:
http://hanausagi.iza.ne.jp/blog/entry/1275530/

Senior Japanese Official Seek Global Intelligence Support On North Korea Abductions

2009-10-13T09:41:00.002+09:00

Hiroshi Nakai, minister in charge of the abudction issue and also the chairman of the National Public Safety Commission in Japan sought cooperation at a Interpol gathering in Singapore.

Here are newswires pieces regarding his calls:

DJ Japan seeks global support on North Korea abductions (Dow Jones newswire)
http://english.capital.gr/News.asp?id=830327

Japan seeks global support on N. Korea abductions (Agence France-Presse)
http://news.sg.msn.com/article.aspx?cp-documentid=3635249

Meeting with the Family Association and Rescue Abductees

2009-10-02T12:28:00.001+09:00

Hatoyama: Fresh approach on Abduction Issue
Meeting with the Family Association and Rescue Abductees

Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama and Hiroshi Nakai, National Public Safety Commission Chairman and Minister of State for the abduction issue met with members from the Association of the Families of Victims Kidnapped by North Korea (AFVKN: “The Families’ Association”), the National Association for the Rescue of Japanese Kidnapped by North Korea (NARKN: “Rescue Abductees”), and Investigation Commission on Missing Japanese Probably Related to North Korea (COMJAN) on Tuesday, September 29th.

(The list of attendees of the meetings will be at the bottom of this article)

PM Hatoyama: Different approach than the previous government – meeting with kin of abductees.

The meeting on Tueday began at the Cabinet Office where Mr. Hiroshi Nakai explained Mr. Hatoyama’s mentioning of the abduction issue in various occasions during his trip in New York. “Mr. Hatoyama spoke about the abduction issue in his address at the U.N. as well as in his meetings with President Obama, President Hu, President Medvedev, President Lee, and Prime Minister Rudd.” Mr. Nakai said that Mr. Hatoyama’s efforts in New York made it easier for him to begin his work. In regards to the organization of the Headquarters for the Abduction Issue, Mr. Nakai said “it is still yet to be determined.” Support for the relatives of the abductees will remain as it is, but Mr. Nakai is seeking the best way to “collect information.” The way information has been gathered “cannot remain the same and continue to waste more years.” He plans to change the organization to gather information.

Prime Minister Hatoyama met with abductees’ families and members of the supporting organization at the Prime Minister’s Office. To start off the meeting, Mr. Hatoyama said, "Needless to say, an issue of this kind can only be resolved through the government's proactive efforts.” “The issue cannot be resolved when Japan is depending on other nations. This new administration wants to demonstrate that it is going to tackle this issue proactively.” Mr. Hatoyama expressed his strong determination in his statement.

In response to the positive comments and encouragements from the family members, Mr. Hatoyama said that he means what he said. “We must demonstrate that this is a new administration. I have been explaining my policy of “fraternity” and by this, I mean that I want to lead a government that values human lives. I cannot let this issue continue as it is when I believe that human lives must be valued.”

In the meeting, Mr. Teruaki Masumoto, General Secretary of the Families’ Association, expressed his concern regarding the possible lifting of sanctions against North Korea. Mr. Masumoto spoke about the agreement made last June between MOFA and North Korea that Japan would lift sanctions on North Korean ships if North Korea began reinvestigation of abductees. The sanctions on North Korean ships entering Japanese ports was a result of the long-fought battle by the abductees’ families and supporting organizations and Mr. Masumoto explained that all the family members feel that it should not be lifted easily. “Until all the victims return to Japan, the sanction on Mangyongbong should not be lifted.” In response to Mr. Masumoto’s comments, Mr. Hatoyama said that lifting sanctions would only bring the same outcomes from the North Korean regime as we have seen for years. He said that the new administration must deal with North Korea with new ways and that Japan should not easily compromise to North Korea.

Mr. Nakai said that before coming to power, he has been criticizing the government of being soft on North Korea. “I now have that responsibility of criticizing the former administration.” Following Mr. Hatoyama’s strong will to resolve this issue, Mr. Nakai also expressed his determination as the minister responsible for the abduction issue. He also said he would like to visit South Korea before the Diet session convenes and has been contacting President Lee’s brother. “I will be making every effort to resolve this issue.

Below is the list of people who attended the meeting.
Families’ Association:
Shigeo Iizuka, Akihiro and Kayoko Arimoto, Shichiro Hamamoto, Teruaki Masumoto, Sakie Yokota, Kenichi and Tatsuko Ichikawa, Fumiyo Saito, Takeshi Matumoto, Akio Terakoshi, Mitsuo Uchida, Masaru Honma, Koichiro Iizuka, Fumiko Hirano, Toshiko Masumoto
Rescue Abductees:
Yoichi Shimada, Mr. Yamagishi
COMJAN:
Hiroshi Kawahito

At the Prime Minister’s office, our members met with Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, together with Mr. Hirofumi Hirano, Chief Cabinet Secretary, Mr. Hiroshi Nakai, Minister of State for the Abduction Issue, Mr. Matsuno, Mr. Matsui and Mr. Takino, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretaries, Mr. Tetsuro Fukuyama, State Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Mr. Kouhei Ohtsuka, Senior Vice Minister for Promotion of Local Sovereignty, and Mr. Kenji Tamura, Parliamentary Secretary of Cabinet Office. All of them attended the meeting with the “blue ribbon” pin. Mr. Koriki Jojima, chairman of the Lower House special committee on the abduction issue, and Mr. Yukihisa Fujita, chairman of the Upper House special committee on the abduction issue joined the meeting at the Cabinet Office.

PM Hatoyama meets with Families of Abductees

2009-10-02T12:12:00.002+09:00

Family members of the vicitims kidnapped by North Korea and members from the supporting organizations met with Prime Minister Hatoyama and Minister of State for the Abduction Issue Hiroshi Nakai on Tuesday, September 28th at the Prime Minister's Office.

Below is on the reports covering this meeting:

http://www.breitbart.com/print.php?id=D9B0V79O0&show_article=1
LEAD: Hatoyama vows efforts to get back abduction victims+

Sep 29 07:46 AM US/Eastern

TOKYO, Sept. 29 (AP) - (Kyodo)—(EDS: UPDATING WITH HATOYAMA'S COMMENTS, MORE INFO ON MEETING)

Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama vowed Tuesday to make efforts to have Japanese citizens who were abducted by North Korea in the 1970s and and are believed to be still living in the reclusive state returned to Japan, according to relatives of the abduction victims who visited the new Japanese leader at his office.

"I am going to tackle this issue in the belief that a new administration will be meaningless if we don't solve this," Hatoyama was quoted by the relatives as telling them in their first meeting since he took office on Sept. 16.

"It is not that easy, but in order for a new administration to demonstrate a politics in which each and every life is cherished, progress must be seen in the abduction issue," Hatoyama told reporters in the evening, referring to the basis of his philosophy, "fraternity."

"This is the issue we must tackle," he said.

The relatives said Hatoyama also notified them that he had sought support on the abduction issue from U.S. President Barack Obama and other foreign leaders when he held bilateral talks with them during his six-day trip to the United States last week.

The 62-year-old Hatoyama, who heads the ruling Democratic Party of Japan, also informed the relatives that Obama promised him the United States will do everything it can do to help get the abduction victims back, according to Shigeo Iizuka, the brother of abduction victim Yaeko Taguchi.

But the prime minister also underlined the importance of Japan committing itself more strongly on the issue, according to Iizuka.

"I told him I'm delighted to feel eagerness" of the new government to address the problem, said Iizuka, who chairs the Association of the Families of Victims Kidnapped by North Korea.

Hatoyama also told Iizuka his administration will work hard in cooperation with the South Korean government to invite to Japan former North Korean agent Kim Hyon Hui, who knew Taguchi as a Japanese- language teacher in North Korea and currently lives in the South.

In March, Iizuka and Taguchi's son Koichiro Iizuka met Kim, who was convicted of the 1987 fatal bombing of a South Korean airliner but was freed in 1990 under a presidential pardon, and were able to get a glimpse into how Taguchi spent her life in North Korea.

But Sakie Yokota, mother of abduction victim Megumi Yokota, was less sanguine.

"I don't remember how many times I have come here (the prime minister's office) and how many times I have begged the prime minister for help," she said.

"I have always trusted them (politicians) and expected them to do their best," she said. "I will thank them only when we see actual results."

Pyongyang says Megumi died in North Korea, but her family does not accept the claim.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirofumi Hirano, who was also at the meeting, said at a press conference, "The Hatoyama Cabinet will do its utmost to resolve the abduction issue as the responsibility of the state."

North Korea promised to set up a panel to reinvestigate the fates of Japanese abductees during bilateral negotiations with Japan in August last year, but no progress has been made on the probe.

Japan has said that at least 17 Japanese were abducted to North Korea in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The issue is an emotional one in Japan and has been a major obstacle to the normalization of bilateral ties.

Most of those elected in Japanese general election support sanctions against North Korea

2009-09-04T16:09:00.002+09:00

The Association of the Families of Victims Kidnapped by North Korea (AFVKN: “The Families’ Association”) and the National Association for the Rescue of Japanese Kidnapped by North Korea (NARKN: “Rescue Abductees”) surveyed candidates for the Japanese general election held last Sunday, August 30, on their stance on the abduction issue. The survey was sent to all 1374 candidates prior to the election.

77.4% of the 1374 candidates and 80.6% of the elected candidates responded to our survey. The same numbers four years ago were 76.1% and 79.1%. The high response rate reflects the high interest to the abduction issue among the Japanese.
The results for each question are as follows.

Most candidates support full-scale sanction on North Korea.

Q1: Do you believe that the abduction issue is one of national priorities?
95.1% of the elected respondents (368 out of 387) and 87.3% of all respondents agreed that the abduction issue is a national priority. The results show that many beyond party lines agree that the abduction is a national priority.

Percentage of elected respondents that believe the abduction issue is a national priority by party affiliation is as follows:

LDP 99.0%
DPJ 96.0%
New Komei 100%
Communist Party 11.1%

Only one elected candidate said no (0.2%). One LDP, nine DPJ and eight Communist Party members checked the “others” box.

Q2. North Korea unilaterally breached the promise made in August 2008 that they would reinvestigate the whereabouts of the abductees. Moreover, North Korea continued nuclear testing and fired missiles. In response to this situation, the Family Association and Rescue Abductees called for a full-scale sanction against North Korea to stop the flow of money, goods and people between Japan and North Korea to rescue the abductees. Do you support such full-scale sanction?

63.3% of elected respondents (245 out of 387) and 67.2% of all respondents said they support such a sanction. This proves that majority of respondents support a full-scale sanction as called for by our organizations. After a number of limited sanctions to North Korea, we have demanded the government for a tougher sanction stopping all flow of money, goods and people going into North Korea. We feel confident that support for such sanction is gathering. Many comments under the “others” indicated support for additional sanction, instead of a full-scale sanction.

Percentage of elected respondents that support full-scale sanction by party affiliation is as follows:
LDP 74.5%
DPJ 61.7%
New Komei Party 64.3% *More than two-thirds of elected respondents in the 3 major parties support full-scale sanction.

Five DPJ, one LDP, eight Communist Party, and three Social Democratic Party were against further sanction.

Q3. Headquarters for the Abduction Issue was established in inside the Japanese government in 2006 following our strong request for such government structure. The Headquarter assumes that all victims of abduction are still alive, secures safety and repatriates all victims, and demands that resolution of this issue be a prerequisite of Japan and North Korea normalization. Do you agree to the Headquarter’s stance on this issue?

95.1% of the elected respondents and 94.0% of all respondents agreed to these policies. Presumption that all victims are still alive, repatriation of the victims, and full resolution of the abduction issue as prerequisite for normalization are the Family Association and Rescue Abductees’ most important claims against North Korea. The North Korean government attempted to put an end to this issue by returning just five of the victims and claiming the rest of the victims are dead. We believe that this survey result reflects strong support from the Japanese people to our claims. It also proves that many respondents across party-lines and now in government also share our views.

Percentage of elected respondents that agree with our main claims by party affiliation is as follows:

LDP 98.0%
DPJ 95.2%
New Komei Party 100% *Almost all elected candidates in the three major parties are in line with our stance toward the abduction issue.

One DPJ and three Social Democratic Party members disagreed with our stance.

Clinton asks North Korea to release abductees

2009-08-09T15:51:00.002+09:00

More reports on Bill Clinton's plea to release abductees from Japan to South Korea to the rogue state leader:

http://www.bostonherald.com/news/international/asia_pacific/view.bg?articleid=1189685

Calls to "free Japanese abductees"- Clinton

2009-08-07T10:35:00.002+09:00

As it has been widely reported, Bill Clinton urged Kim Jon-il to free Japanese abductees in his recent trip to North Korea.

Free Japanese abductees
http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking%2BNews/Asia/Story/STIStory_413322.html

TOKYO - FORMER US president Bill Clinton on his North Korea mission this week urged leader Kim Jong-Il to resolve questions over the fate of kidnapped Japanese nationals, a top Japanese official said on Thursday.

However, Kim gave no answer over what happened to the Japanese still missing since they were kidnapped in the 1970s and 80s to train the communist country's spies, the official said, citing unnamed US government sources.

Mr Clinton's surprise visit to win the release of US journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee reminded many in Japan of their own nationals who vanished inside the isolated country after being abducted during the Cold War.

North Korea in 2001 admitted to 13 abductions. It allowed five victims to return home but said eight more had died - a claim Japan has rejected.

Japan insists North Korea is still hiding survivors and has abducted more people than it admits, in a dispute that has hardened positions and proved a stumbling block in talks to end Pyongyang's nuclear weapons programme.

Mr Clinton during his visit 'urged General Secretary Kim Jong-Il to make progress in the abduction issue,' Japan's top government spokesman Takeo Kawamura told journalists Thursday, quoting an unnamed senior US official.

The former US president had 'strongly urged (North Korea) to open a new investigation in accordance with an earlier agreement between Japan and North Korea,' Mr Kawamura, the chief cabinet secretary, told a media briefing.

Mr Kawamura said that, while speaking to the US official, he had 'expressed gratitude for the remarks by former president Clinton.' 'We hope that this event will help solve the abduction issue,' he said, adding however that Kim had reportedly offered no reply to Mr Clinton.

Japan and North Korea, which have no diplomatic relations, agreed last year to conduct a new probe into the fate of those still missing, in which Japan was to have been given unprecedented access to the secretive state.

However the investigation, which was to have concluded late last year, never materialised. -- AFP

PM Aso visits site of abduction in Niigata ahead of general election

2009-08-03T10:28:00.002+09:00

Two articles reporting Mr. Aso's visit to Niigata where Megumi Yokota was abducted by North Korea agents to kick off his election campaign.

(Channel News Asia.com)
Japan's Aso slams North Korea as vote campaign begins
Posted: 01 August 2009 1752 hrs

TOKYO : Prime Minister Taro Aso kicked off a campaigning tour ahead of this month's general election on Saturday by focusing on the issue of kidnappings of Japanese citizens by North Korean agents during the Cold War.

more: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_asiapacific/view/446198/1/.html

(AFP)

Japan PM flags N.Korea abductions ahead of vote

(AFP) – 1 day ago

TOKYO — Prime Minister Taro Aso on Saturday kicked off a campaigning tour ahead of this month's general election by focusing on the issue of kidnappings of Japanese citizens by North Korean agents during the Cold War.

more: http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5g6-LiWL5D5HOyKxqda0djW-HGTZA

Abduction Must be Discussed in General Election

2009-07-22T14:35:00.001+09:00

(*This is a draft translation of Rescue Abductees Japanese newsletter posted July 21, 2009)

Rescue Abductees held a press conference following the dissolution of the House of Representatives. It announced that it will conduct a survey for all candidates on their stance on the abduction issue. The results will be published as soon as they are compiled on its website.

Comments on the Upcoming General Election:
Shigeo Iizuka, FAVKN Chairman: We have spoke with all political parties in this general election to include the resolution of the abduction issue in their party manifestos and act on it once they are elected. Repatriating the kidnapped Japanese in North Korea is a non-partisan issue.

Shigeru Yokota: It seems that the North Korean government has not responded to serious interaction with Japan due to political instability. I hope that politics becomes more stable soon so that serious progress can be made to resolve this issue.

Akihiro Arimoto: There seems to be only few parliamentarians in both LDP and DPJ that have shown serious concerns over this issue. I hope that supporters of our organizations and our cause would support these candidates.

Teruaki Masumoto: I am deeply disappointed that the bill for the implementation of North Korean cargo inspection has been scrapped, now that the House of Representatives dissolved. The U.N. Resolution 1874 was a positive step for the international community to impose tough measures against North Korea. Although Japan was a strong advocate of this resolution, Japan is unable to implement the cargo inspection for the meantime.

Tsutomu Nishioka: I just returned from South Korea. Based on my conversations with North Korea experts and defectors there, Kim Jon-il is in critical condition. There will be a big change in North Korea soon.
I am told that South Korea and U.S. governments are preparing for the post Kim Jon-il situation. The elected party of this general election is likely to have to manage this critical situation in North Korea. I hope that it will be the government that would finally bring back Japanese citizens from North Korea. With imminent situation in North Korea, nuclear and missiles issues must also be discussed in this general election. Yet, most discussions among the candidates are inward-looking and lack the sense of urgency I observe from South Korea and U.S. National security and infringement of sovereignty should be important topics.

LDP Special Committee on North Korean Abduction Issue

2009-07-21T15:45:00.002+09:00

(*This is a draft translation of Rescue Abductees Japanese newsletter posted July 16, 2009)

Interim reports for the sanction against North Korea simulation project and the special assistance for the victims of abduction project were made at today’s session of LDP Special Committee on North Korean Abduction Issue (Chairman: FURUYA, Keiji). Officials from the MOFA and Cabinet Office also made remarks regarding measures against North Korea during the session.

Mr. Iizuka (FAVKN Chairman), Mr. Masumoto (FAVKN Secretary Gen.), Professor Nishioka (NRKN Acting Chairman), Mr. Hirata (NRKN Sec. Gen) attended the session along with former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and many other parliamentarians and officials from relevant ministries.

Following are the summaries of some of the attendees' comments:

LDP Special Committee – Call for further sanctions against North Korea
Mr. Furuya: Unfortunately, a critical bill to implement North Korean cargo inspections is about to be scrapped. We will work for the LDP manifesto to reflect our firm stance against North Korea.

Mr. Abe: Japan has been consistent since February 2007 six-party talks not to provide oil unless there is progress on the abduction issue. If we had provided oil to the state, that may have assisted missile development of North Korea.

Mr. Iizuka: I am concerned about the outcome of the general election. The fact that Japan is unable to inspect cargos (since the bill is being scrapped) following the U.N. resolution is extremely unfortunate. I strongly hope that the progress of the abduction is promised in the LDP manifesto.

Mr. Nishioka: We urge the government to be creative for the early implementation of the cargo inspection. Our organizations plan to publish the evaluation of the different parties’ policies regarding the abduction issue and the outcome of a survey for the candidates.

Committee members working to impose further sanctions against North Korea reviewed options for early implementation of the cargo inspection, prevention of access of critical technologies, financial sanction, and other sanctions that Japan itself could impose against North Korea. The committee will also be preparing for future U.N. resolutions and the conditions after Kim Jon-il is no longer in power.

Assistance for the victims of abduction in Japan will be extended for another five years, continued investigation of the missing Japanese members suspected of abduction were also agreed to be included in the final report of this committee.

Statement on Bill for North Korean Cargo Inspection (July 15, 2009)

2009-07-21T01:07:00.002+09:00

*This is the unofficial translation of Rescue Abductee’s statement published on July 15, 2009 in Japanese.

The bill to implement North Korean cargo inspection called for in a recent U.N. resolution is likely to be scrapped, according to reports.

This will imply that Japan requiring firm stance against North Korea to repatriate citizens kidnapped by the regime will likely be unable to implement cargo inspections. This is a situation we must avoid.

The rescue of Japanese citizens in North Korea is a non-partisan issue with utmost urgency. For this reason, we call for all those involved in passing this legislation to take creative ways to allow Japan to inspect North Korean cargos.

We further strongly call for the abduction issue to be a topic of discussion in the upcoming general election.

We will review and compare the parties’ manifesto on their stance on the abduction issue and plan to conduct a survey to question the parties’ take on this issue.

We also kindly ask the voters to take into account this issue as they elect candidates.

AFVKN Chairman, Shigeo Iizuka
NRKN Chairman, Yoshiaki Fujino

Who We Are

2009-04-26T13:49:00.000+09:00

Updated April, 2009

The Association of the Families of Victims Kidnapped by North Korea (AFVKN: “The Families’ Association”) was formed in March 1997 after the kidnap of Megumi Yokota by the North Korean authority became clear by a North Korean defector and former agent. The fourteen families decided to disclose their identities to call on the public for the rescue of their family members detained in North Korea. Incidents of abduction concentrated between 1977 and 1978. Two decades had passed before the families’ began there “rescue movement.”

Many organizations to support the rescue movement were rapidly set up across Japan since then. In 1998, The National Association for the Rescue of Japanese Kidnapped by North Korea (NARKN: “Rescue Abductees”) was organized to coordinate this national movement among local groups. There are currently thirty-five local and one youth organizations (as of March 2009) coordinated through Rescue Abductees.

Both the Families Association and Rescue Abductees are non-profit organizations receiving no government subsidies. Their activities are supported solely on contributions by individual. However, a law that was enacted in December 2002 to support victims kidnapped by North Korea provides Japanese governmental support to victims and their families.

According to the Investigation Commission on Missing Japanese Probably Related to North Korea　(COMJAN), there are approximately 500 missing cases that cannot rule out the possibilities of North Korean abduction. The Commission, an organization that spun off from Rescue Abductees in January 2003, believes that about seventy of them are highly likely to have been kidnapped by North Korea.

Members of the Japanese Parliament came together in April 1997 to form a parliamentarian league to support the rescue movement. This league was dissolved to be renewed as the Parliamentarian League for Early Repatriation of Japanese Citizens Kidnapped by North Korea, a multi-party organization with over 200 Diet members, headed by Chairman Takeo Hiranuma.

Local lawmakers have also formed their organization in 2000. This movement has continued to spread across Japan where we now see many organizations at the prefectural level.

The Headquarters for the Abduction Issue was established in September 2006 by the Japanese government. The Headquarters, an organization in the Cabinet Office, promotes comprehensive measures for the early return of living abductees.

The rescue movement led by the Families Association and Rescue Abductees includes local meetings across Japan and press conferences to update the public on the latest information, and collect petitions to send our calls to the national government and the Diet. We have also visited U.S., South Korea, Thailand, China and European nations to investigate other North Korean kidnapping cases. We have strengthened ties with families in other countries in similar situations and have worked together, with facts discovered through our investigation, to call on their governments and international organizations for assistance to repatriate victims from North Korea.

We have continued to call the Japanese government to express the intention of imposing sanctions if they were necessary to rescue all the victims in North Korea. Former Chairman of the Families’ Association, Shigeru Yokota and his wife, Sakie Yokota, have spoken in over one thousand meetings during the nine-and-a-half years of leading the rescue movement. There are now over six million petitions supporting our cause.

　Hundreds of victims from Japan and other nations are still detained in North Korea. The Japanese government has officially identified 17 Japanese that were kidnapped during late 1970s and early 1980s. We believe that there must be at least about a hundred Japanese kidnapped and detained in North Korea.

According to the South Korean authority, North Korea kidnapped about ninety thousand South Koreans during the Korean War in between 1950 to 1953 and five hundred more after the war ended. Our recent investigation identified four Lebanese, two Chinese, one Thai, and one Romanian victims of this crime. Gathering information indicate kidnappings of French, Italian, Dutch, Jordanian, Malaysian, and Singaporean citizens. There are no exceptions for U.S. citizens. In 2000, Reverend Kim Dong-shik, a U.S. permanent resident residing in Illinois was detained while protecting North Korean defectors in China. Two U.S. female journalists were also kidnapped in March 2009.

The Association of the Families of Victims Kidnapped by North Korea (AFVKN) Board Members:

Chairman: Shigeo Iizuka

Vice Chairman: Akihiro Arimoto, Shichiro Hamamoto

Secretary General: Teruaki Masumoto

Deputy Secretary General: Takuya Yokota, Koichiro Iizuka

The National Association for the Rescue of Japanese Kidnapped by North Korea (NARKN) Board Members:

Chairman: Yoshiaki Fujino

Acting Chairman: Tsutomu Nishioka

Vice Chairman: Yoichi Shimada

Secretary General: Ryutaro Hirata

Contacts:

Sukuukai

Otoha 1-17-11-905, Bunkyo

Tokyo 112-0013, Japan

Tel: +81 3 3946-5780

Fax: +81 3 3946-5784

Ex-spy to abductee's son: Mother is alive

2009-03-13T09:38:00.001+09:00

Former North Korean spy Kim Hyon Hui said Wednesday she believes Japanese abductee Yaeko Taguchi is still alive, bringing hope to the missing woman's son and family members of others taken to North Korea...

full story here:
http://www.asahi.com/english/Herald-asahi/TKY200903120033.html
PUSAN--Former North Korean spy Kim Hyon Hui said Wednesday she believes Japanese abductee Yaeko Taguchi is still alive, bringing hope to the missing woman's son and family members of others taken to North Korea.
Taguchi's son, Koichiro Iizuka, 32, after meeting Kim here, said her words gave "new hope for our efforts" to rescue those forcibly taken by the reclusive state.
Taguchi was abducted by North Korean agents in 1978 and was forced to teach Japanese to Kim in Pyongyang for 12/3 years from 1981. In 2002, Pyongyang reported that Taguchi had died in July 1986.
Kim, 47, who was convicted of blowing up a Korean Air jet in 1987, killing 115 people on board, met Koichiro and his adopted father, Shigeo Iizuka, 70, who is Taguchi's brother.
The 11/2-hour meeting, held at a convention hall under heavy security, was the first between Kim and an abductee's family.
Kim, who was sentenced to death for the Korean Air bombing but later pardoned, had not made a public appearance since 1997, when she got married.
When Kim met the two around 11 a.m., she greeted Shigeo and then embraced Koichiro, telling him in Japanese: "You have grown big. You look like your mother. I wanted to see you sooner."
Kim, with tears in her eyes, told Koichiro that one day he would meet his mother.
Koichiro was just 1 year old when Taguchi disappeared. She was 22.
In a news conference after the meeting, Shigeo Iizuka thanked Kim for "clearly testifying to the existence of Yaeko Taguchi."
He went on to say, "I hope this meeting will be a good opportunity to advance Japan and South Korea's efforts to resolve the abduction issue."
At a Japan-North Korea summit in 2002, Pyongyang admitted its agents had abducted Japanese; it said five abductees were alive but eight others, including Taguchi, were dead.
But Kim said she heard between January and October 1987 in North Korea that Taguchi had been moved to another location, leading her to believe the abductee was still alive.
Taguchi was also reportedly sighted in October 1986, three months after Pyongyang said she died. There has also been a report she married a South Korean abductee.
But Kim told the news conference she had never heard whom Taguchi had married. She also said she thinks another abductee, Megumi Yokota, is alive. However, she did not give any specific supporting evidence of either woman's survival.
Pyongyang has denied Taguchi was Kim's Japanese teacher, who taught under the Korean name Lee Un Hae. The North also denies any involvement in the Korean Air bombing.
The meeting was arranged after Kim expressed her hope to see the Iizukas in January, and the family asked the Japanese and South Korean governments for mediation.
The Iizukas, who learned of Taguchi's fate only after Kim's arrest, have for years sought a chance to talk to her to find out about Taguchi's life in North Korea.
"Kim said Yaeko-san, my mother, is alive. She also said she would become my Korean mother. I am very pleased," Koichiro said.
Kim told the news conference Koichiro reminded her of his mother.
"How I wish Taguchi were here with us," she said.
Kim, who has not met any of the Korean Air bombing's bereaved families, said "a miracle can happen" if efforts are made to regain abductees, while respecting the North's "pride."(IHT/Asahi: March 12,2009)

Macau Abduction Victim taught Chinese to former North Korean terrorist Kim Hyon-Hui.

2009-03-12T09:50:00.000+09:00

National Association for the Rescue of Japanese Kidnapped by North Korea, NARKN

NARKN News
March 10, 2009

Macau Abduction Victim taught Chinese to former North Korean terrorist Kim Hyon-Hui.

It has been revealed that former North Korean operative, Kim Hyon-Hui, learned Chinese from Ms. Hong Leng-Ieng, who was abducted by North Korea from Macau in 1978.

Kim Hyon-Hui said she, along with Kim Suk-Hui, another North Korean agent, learned Mandarin from Ms. Hong from June to August 1984 at the Yongsong No.40 “guest house” located in the north of Pyongyang.

“I got basic Chinese lessons from a Macau woman. That woman who taught me Mandarin was around five years older than me. Her name is “Miss Kong” (the Korean pronunciation of the Chinese character for “Hong”). She was a typical Chinese beauty. I heard she had been abducted from Macau. She told me she once had tried to escape from a detention center in North Korea but was recaptured. I’m sure she is the very woman Ms. Choi Un-Hee (a famous South Korean actress who was abducted but later escaped) noted she had met in North Korea.”

Kim Hyon-Hui revealed this information to Mr. Cho Gab-Je, a prominent South Korean journalist, in late February. She later identified Hong Leng-Ieng from a photograph provided by NARKN.

Representatives of NARKN, after an extensive investigation, gave a presentation on the case of Hong Leng-Ieng at the International Conference on the Reality of North Korean Abductions and Its Resolution held in Tokyo in December 2006. NARKN also provided a detailed report to the Chinese authorities.

Fundamentally, the governments of Japan, South Korea, and China should put the Abduction issue on the agenda of the Six-Party Talks and co-operatively mount pressure on North Korea to resolve it. This has not yet been done.

It is also regrettable that the Chinese government seems to have made no effort to rescue its own citizens despite clear evidence of their abduction and continuing detention by North Korea.

We sincerely hope, in the wake of this new revelation by Kim Hyon-Hui, keener interest of the international community will be given to the abduction of Macau residents including, first and foremost, by China.

Secretary to consider ways to apply pressure on North Korea

2009-02-17T18:59:00.005+09:00

*Rough translation of the infoletter distributed to the supporter members of NARKN. for further questions, contact: info@sukuukai.jp

AFVKN members, Shigeru Iizuka, Chairman, and Mr. and Mrs. Shigeru Yokota met with Secretary Clinton today at the American Embassy in Tokyo. The meeting scheduled for 10-15 minutes extended to 30 minutes. The letter addressed to Secretary Clinton was given to one of the ministers prior to the meeting. The minister promised that the letter would be handed to the Secretary, however, the family members mentioned about the letter in their meeting.

The following is the summary of Mr. Iizuka, and Mr. and Mrs. Yokota’s comment regarding the meeting with the Secretary.

Secretary would like to consider ways to press pressure against North Korea.

Secretary Clinton began the meeting by telling the family members that she is there to listen to their story. It seemed that she had been briefed on Megumi Yokota and Yaeko Taguchi. The secretary listened earnestly to their stories.

Shigeo Iizuka: All countries know that North Korea was behind the bombing of the South Korean airliner but North Korea does not admit it. I told the Secretary that if I can meet with Kim Hyon-hui, the former NK agent who planted the bomb, we can make North Korea admit that North Korea was responsible for the bombing. The Secretary made no response to that. She asked me who took care of my sister (Yaeko Taguchi)’s children and I told her that my younger sister and I took the children aged one and two in to raise them after Yaeko was kidnapped.

Three decades is too long. To let North Korea think that we (the family members of the victims) would give up this fight is a tragedy. We also told that many more are abducted by North Korea and showed photos of the kidnapped.

The conversation took place in a mild atmosphere. The Secretary appeared that she wanted to understand the situation as a mother. She seemed eager to know what is going on. However, she hardly touched upon the serious issue of removing North Korea from the U.S. list of state sponsoring terror.

The secretary did mention that the NK is a very cruel state, and that she had been studying the state for a long time. She said that she would like to consider how U.S. can put pressure on NK. In regards to our actions, she said that we were brave and encouraged us to continue. It seemed that the whole point of today’s meeting was to hear the family’s voices directly. In that sense, I feel that this was a good achievement.

Shigeru Yokota: I told her that any mother or father cannot stop fighting to bring their child back when they know where they are. The secretary said that we were admirable. I emphasized that we must bring back all the people that are held captive. The families and the Japanese government are working on the basis that our they are all still alive. It is our government’s responsibility to resolve this issue, however, I asked her again for the U.S. government’s support on this issue from the same stance as our government’s.

Sakie Yokota: I showed her five photos: Megumi in her school uniform, Megumi in her white blouse, Megumi with her husband and a one-year-old daughter Kim Hye-gyong, Hye-gyong by herself, and our family with Megumi, her two brothers and us. I explained that something extraordinary had happened to an ordinary, happy family. I also passed her the English book that I wrote regarding about my experience in trying to get my daughter back. Secretary Clinton asked about the five Japanese who returned from North Korea. We explained to her that all of them had some contact with Megumi. They all knew that she had been forced to return to her home in North Korea when she tried to go back to Japan. The returnees said that they told Megumi that she should not try to do that in North Korea.

I also told Secretary Clinton that I was deeply disappointed when the U.S. removed North Korea from the terror list when I had met with President Bush. When I asked her whether the removal was a temporary action, she said she would look into it. Mr. Hill was also present in the meeting. The secretary encouraged him to comment but he did not say anything then.

Official letter addressed to Secretary Clinton (NARKN)

2009-02-17T14:15:00.003+09:00

This is the official text of the letter addressed to Secretary Clinton from the Association of the Families of Victims Kidnapped by North Korea (AFVKN) and National Association for the Rescue of Japanese Kidnapped by North Korea(NARKN: Rescue Abductees).

This letter was delivered to the Secretary during AFVKN and NARKN's meeting with the Secretary today.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

February 17, 2009

Honorable Hillary Clinton　　　　　　　　　　　　　　

The U.S. Secretary of State

Dear Madame Secretary,

Thank you very much for sharing your time with us today despite yourbusy schedule.

The abductions carried out by North Korea are an ongoing state crime. Weare convinced that many victims are alive and still being detained byNorth Korea. Rescuing the Japanese abductees, of course, is first andforemost the task of the Japanese government. At the same time, backupby our ally the United States of America carries great meaning.

The victims of North Korean abduction are not limited to the Japanese.Citizens of at least 12 countries have been abducted, including a clericwho has U.S. permanent resident status. International pressure againstthe North, particularly from the United States, is indispensable to anyresolution of the issue.

For these reasons, we were deeply disappointed by the previous U.S.administration’s premature delisting of North Korea from the StateDepartment terrorism list. North Korea continuously violates itsagreements despite the considerable international efforts to engage it.We understand that you will be reviewing this situation in the nearfuture and ask that you seriously consider re-listing North Korea as astate sponsor of terrorism.

It is our firm hope that, under your leadership, the new U.S.administration will vigorously assert a bold foreign policy to expandfreedom. We, too, are determined to fight hard to rescue all of theabduction victims and liberate all North Korean residents fromoppression.

We deeply appreciate your tireless efforts on a day-to-day basis.

Sincerely,

Shigeo Iizuka,

Chairman Association of the Families of Victims Kidnapped by North Korea (AFVKN)

Yoshiaki Fujino,

ChairmanNational Association for the Rescue of Japanese Kidnapped by North Korea(NARKN)

Rescue Abductees meet with UN Special Rapporteur

2009-01-28T11:56:00.003+09:00

Family victims of the abductees and members of Rescue Abductees met with Professor Vitit Muntarbhorn, United Nations envoy on human rights in North Korea, in Tokyo. Shigeru Iizuka (Chairman of the Family Association), Shigeru Yokota (former chairman), Teruaki Masumoto (Secretary General of FA), Masaru Honma, and Professor Tsutomu Nishioka (Rescue Abductees) met with Professor Muntarbhorn on Monday for a two hour long conference.

Professor Muntabhorn has been meeting with the Family Associationa and Rescue Abductees every since 2004 in Japan. He has been made sure that the human rights violation issue to Japan by North Korea is clearly included in the annual UN human rights report in North Korea.

In our conversation this year he made the following points regarding the UN Security Council's stance on this issue:

The human rights concern stated in the UN Resolution 1718 is non-binding and the words are only in the preamble.

As the special rapporteur, he will continue to report the grave concerns of this issue to the Security Council.

South Korea is finally taking actions for their kidnapped citizens

2009-01-28T11:51:00.003+09:00

Reports say that the Unification Ministry of South Korea is drawing up a list of South Koreans believed to have been kidnapped by North Korea. While the last South Korean administratio were reluctant to face this issue, this is a positive movement.

Below is the news report:

http://joongangdaily.joins.com/article/view.asp?aid=2900283

Officials draw up list of abductees

January 28, 2009

South Korea’s Unification Ministry is drawing up an extensive list of South Koreans believed to have been kidnapped by North Korea.

Families of abductees have long demanded that the government make more of an effort to have their loved ones returned. Their fates, however, have remained largely unknown for decades.

According to unnamed government officials, the Unification Ministry formed a special two-man task force to create a database on the abductees. They said the move is aimed at being “better prepared for possible negotiations on the abductees with the North.”

The government estimated in 2006 that about 3,795 South Koreans, largely soldiers fighting for the South during the 1950-53 Korean War, were captured by the North and involuntarily taken to the communist country. About 3,300 of them made it back home to the South but some 480, including fishermen taken into the country while fishing near the border, remain in the North, officials say.

In its 2009 operations blueprint announced earlier this month, Seoul mapped out a plan to try to bring home the South Korean POWs and kidnapped civilians. Some officials even hinted that they are considering offering cash incentives to Pyongyang.

UN calls on NK for actions

2009-01-28T11:47:00.002+09:00

Professor Muntarbhorn addressed his concerns for the kidnapped Japanese held in North Korea during his visit to Tokyo.

Here's the article:

http://www.easybourse.com/bourse-actualite/marches/un-should-act-on-n-korea-human-rights-envoy-604125

UN Should Act On N Korea Human Rights - Envoy

Tuesday January 27th, 2009 / 11h12

TOKYO (AFP)--The United Nations envoy on human rights in North Korea said Tuesday that the entire United Nations should work together to improve the "grim" situation in the hardline communist nation.
"I ask the total U.N. system to act, on the basis of graduated pressures, graduated influences," Vitit Muntarbhorn said in Tokyo.
He said there was "a time for the incentives, a time for other actions. That is my approach."
Muntarbhorn, a law professor at Bangkok's Chulalongkorn University, noted that the former U.N. Commission on Human Rights created his position in 2004 and that the General Assembly has also put pressure on North Korea.
"Particularly, civil society has been advocating that this issue should be taken up at the top level of the United Nations, the Security Council," Muntarbhorn said.
"And that of course depends on the political will, particularly of the permanent members of the Security Council," he said, referring to the U.K., China, France, Russia and the United States.
Muntarbhorn said the human rights situation in North Korea "is really grim." "We get many reports of violations - public executions, ... torture, political detention camps of enormous proportion," he said.
He said that authorities were also trying to assert control over the population through restrictions on food, a scarce commodity in a nation that suffers severe malnutrition.
Muntarbhorn was in Japan largely for talks on North Korea's abductions of Japanese nationals in the 1970s and 1980s.
North Korea in 2002 returned five of the abduction victims, who had been kidnapped to train the regime's spies. But Japan demands more answers on the fate of others.
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U.N. admits the world is highly unsatisfied with North Korea's response to abduction issue

2009-01-28T11:43:00.001+09:00

UN Special Rapporteur visited Tokyo assess the impact of human rights violation to Japan by North Korea (DPRK: Democractic People's Republic of Korea).

Below is the full report:

http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900SID/JBRN-7NPEYP?OpenDocument

Visit of the United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) to Japan: January 2009

Source: United Nations University (UNU)

Date: 27 Jan 2009

MR/E05/09

(For use of the media – not an official record)

Professor Vitit Muntarbhorn, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in the DPRK, paid an official visit to Japan from 23 to 28 January 2009. The aim of his visit was to assess the impact of the DPRK's human rights situation on Japan. He was accompanied by an official of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. This was his fourth visit to Japan.

The Special Rapporteur had free access to all entities which he sought to meet, and he thanks warmly the Government of Japan and the Japanese public for their kind hospitality and constructive dialogue throughout his visit. He held consultations with Mr Hirofumi Nakasone, the Foreign Minister of Japan, and a wide variety of stakeholders – governmental and non-governmental. Of great importance was his meeting with the families of those who had been abducted by the DPRK. He expresses his heartfelt sympathy to them in regard to the torment caused by the crimes committed by the DPRK against their loved ones.

There remain key concerns in relation to the DPRK's relations with Japan, particularly the denuclearization of the DPRK and accountability for the abductions committed by the country. The former is inter-linked with steps towards denuclearizing the DPRK. A key entry point for this process has been the Six-Party Talks (involving the DPRK, China, Russia, United States of America, Republic of Korea and Japan) which seeks the verifiable denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. While the talks are currently stalled over the concrete framework of verification of the DPRK's nuclear programmes, it is hoped that more concrete progress will be made in the near future, as positive developments on this front can pave the way to possible human rights improvements in the country.

With regard to the abductions issue, while the DPRK has already admitted to committing a number of these crimes, some cases remain unresolved. Currently, there are 17 persons listed officially as abducted by the DPRK. While five returned to Japan following the summit between the two countries in 2002, other cases await an effective commitment from the DPRK to clarify and settle matters satisfactorily. The Six-Party talks have provided some space for dialogue on these matters under their umbrella, while bilateral tracks have complemented this avenue. Of significance is that working level consultations were held between the two countries in August 2008 where both sides agreed on the concrete modality and related measures to ensure a comprehensive investigation on the abductions issue, to be conducted by the DPRK. These include the need for the DPRK to establish an investigation committee to undertake and conclude investigations effectively and expeditiously, and to cooperate with Japan so that the latter will be able to directly confirm the results of the investigation with relevant sources of information.

It should be reiterated that through various United Nations resolutions, the world community remains highly unsatisfied with the DPRK's response to this issue. There is a need for the country to implement what they have said and to settle matters genuinely, transparently and credibly. Internationally, it is increasingly recognised that the DPRK also abducted the nationals of other countries, thus globalizing the issue extensively.

Japan has implemented a range of measures to influence the DPRK to be more responsible in its actions, including prohibition of visits of vessels from the DPRK, and various embargoes and restrictions on trade and exchanges with the DPRK. In 2006, an important law was adopted in Japan to address the issue of human rights violations by the DPRK, with amendments in 2007 to strengthen international cooperation on this front. This law provides for a number of measures, including awareness-raising activities among the Japanese public. In this regard, various national conferences have been held, and dissemination programmes using posters and other media have also been organized to inform the public, including at the local level, about the phenomenon of abductions. The 2006 law also provides for the possible adoption of measures to protect and support "North Korean Defectors", including the Japanese spouses of Koreans who migrated to the DPRK, Korean residents from Japan, who later settled in the DPRK but who now wish to come back to Japan, and DPRK nationals seeking asylum in Japan. A welcome development is that Japan is now increasingly offering protection to a number of persons in such categories. This should be further expanded by means of educational, occupational and psychological support systems, particularly with community inputs, to enable them to be included sustainably and equitably in society. On humanitarian grounds, channels should be explored to enable those who have returned to Japan to reunite with the families left behind in the DPRK.

The Special Rapporteur also paid a visit to the Niigata Prefecture where a number of abductions had taken place, particularly in the 1970s, and consulted the authorities on the underlying circumstances. In geography, this coastal area faces the coastal area of the DPRK. It was the agents of the DPRK who landed clandestinely on its shores to commit the crimes mentioned. Interestingly, the Governors of Japan's prefectures came together in late 2008 to adopt a common position advocating a prompt resolution of the problem, including measures to invite their sister cities in other countries to support efforts in this respect.

The Special Rapporteur calls upon the DPRK to take action efficaciously based on the following - and invites international solidarity to impel the DPRK to take effective measures in this regard:

- Investigate. The DPRK must, as it agreed, establish a credible committee to investigate the abductions issue. The investigation by the DPRK must be of a comprehensive nature, with the aim of taking concrete action to settle the issue satisfactorily, namely to find survivors and return them to Japan.

- Identify. The DPRK's investigation must encompass the victims identified by the Government of Japan as well as other abductees.

- Inform. The DPRK must inform Japan consistently of the progress made and undertake discussions with Japan in a cooperative manner.

- Initiate. The DPRK authorities must initiate actions at home to ensure transparency and accountability, particularly to follow up the requests submitted by Japan to resolve the remaining cases.

- Implement. Genuine implementation of the commitments, particularly on the part of the DPRK, is required, especially based on the spirit of the 2002 Pyongyang Declaration between the two countries - which opened the door to settle disputes peacefully between the two countries, pending steps towards normalization of relations between them.

- Intensify. The DPRK authorities must intensify measures to demonstrate genuine and substantive progress to address the crimes committed and to ensure responsibility of those who committed these crimes.

- Invigorate. By means of effective measures to settle the above, the two countries will be on track to invigorate relations to overcome former impediments and to chart the course towards confluence based on mutual respect, peaceful neighbourliness and compliance with universal human rights standards.

With the exception of public UN sources, reproduction or redistribution of the above text, in whole, part or in any form, requires the prior consent of the original source. The opinions expressed in the documents carried by this site are those of the authors and are not necessarily shared by UN OCHA or ReliefWeb.

Members of the Assembled Governors for the Return of Victims of Abduction by North Korea

2009-01-15T11:03:00.002+09:00

Governors across Japan from all sides of the political aisle form this movement.
Below is the names of those governors:

Shintaro Ishihara, Governor of Tokyo, Chairman

Hirohiko Izumida, Governor of Niigata Prefecture, Vice-Chairman

Harumi Takahashi, Governor of Hokkaido

Shingo Mimura, Governor of Aomori Prefecture

Yoshihiro Murai, Governor of Miyagi Prefecture

Sukeshiro Terata, Governor of Akita Prefecture

Hiroshi Saito, Governor of Yamagata Prefecture

Yuhei Sato, Governor of Fukushima Prefecture

Masaru Hashimoto, Governor of Ibaraki Prefecture

Tomikazu Fukuda, Governor of Tochigi Prefecture

Masaaki Osawa, Governor of Gunma Prefecture

Kiyoshi Ueda, Governor of Saitama Prefecture

Akiko Domoto, Governor of Chiba Prefecture

Shigefumi Matsuzawa, Governor of Kanagawa Prefecture

Takakazu Ishii, Governor of Toyama Prefecture

Masanori Tanimoto, Governor of Ishikawa Prefecture

Issei Nishikawa, Governor of Fukui Prefecture

Shomei Yokouchi, Governor of Yamanashi Prefecture

Jin Murai, Governor of Nagano Prefecture

Hajime Furuta, Governor of Gifu Prefecture

Yoshinobu Ishikawa, Governor of Shizuoka Prefecture

Masaaki Kanda, Governor of Aichi Prefecture

Akihiko Noro, Governor of Mie Prefecture

Yukiko Kada, Governor of Shiga Prefecture

Keiji Yamada, Governor of Kyoto Prefecture

Toru Hashimoto, Governor of Osaka Prefecture

Toshizo Ido, Governor of Hyogo Prefecture

Shogo Arai, Governor of Nara Prefecture

Yoshinobu Nisaka, Governor of Wakayama Prefecture

Shinji Hirai, Governor of Tottori Prefecture

Zenbe Mizoguchi, Governor of Shimane Prefecture

Masahiro Ishii, Governor of Okayama Prefecture

Yuzan Fujita, Governor of Hiroshima Prefecture

Sekinari Nii, Governor of Yamaguchi Prefecture

Kamon Iizumi, Governor of Tokushima Prefecture

Takeki Manabe, Governor of Kagawa Prefecture

Moriyuki Kato, Governor of Ehime Prefecture

Masanao Ozaki, Governor of Kochi Prefecture

Wataru Aso, Governor of Fukuoka Prefecture

Yasushi Furukawa, Governor of Saga Prefecture

Genjiro Kaneko, Governor of Nagasaki Prefecture

Ikuo Kabashima, Governor of Kumamoto Prefecture

Katsusada Hirose, Governor of Oita Prefecture

Hideo Higashikokubaru, Governor of Miyazaki Prefecture

Yuichiro Ito, Governor of Kagoshima Prefecture

Hirokazu Nakaima, Governor of Okinawa Prefecture

Tokyo Governor Ishihara heads assembly of governors calling for the return of abductees

2009-01-14T17:07:00.003+09:00

Governor of Tokyo, Shintaro Ishihara, and 5 other governors of Gunma, Saitama, Niigata, and Tottori spoke at a press conference at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan in Tokyo on Tuesday, January 15, 2009.

Over 40 governors in Japan formed the "Assembled Governors for the Return of Victims of Abduction by North Korea" in November, 2008. The governors are calling for greater pressure to be put on North Korea to see the return of the kidnapped Japanese nationals from the despotic state.

We welcome the governors' initiative and support.

Below is the governors' statement at the press conference and the outline of the letter addressed to Mr. Obama, president-elect of the United States.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Statement to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea

On the Abduction of Japanese Citizens

The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea had admitted to the abduction of Japanese citizens; nevertheless, the DPRK has failed to demonstrate sincerity in further investigations. The DPRK must once again clearly recognize that it has committed an act of crime that is impermissible on humanitarian grounds.

The precious time taken away from the victims as well as the family bonds that were disrupted by the unwarranted acts of abduction can never be returned, and nothing can be done to expiate this. The fundamental premise of atonement for this crime is none other than the earliest possible realization of the return of all the abductees, which is also the strong desire of the now aging families of the victims. The DPRK must promptly take the initial steps to resolve this abduction issue.

Firmly determined to realize the return of our fellow citizens, we, the members of the Assembled Governors for the Return of Victims of Abduction by North Korea, will strictly implement all possible sanctions and other measures and demand the DPRK to:

Promptly conduct a reinvestigation as agreed to at the Japan-North Korea Working-Level Consultations;
Ensure the safety of all abductees and return them to Japan immediately;
Inquire into the abduction issue and provide a full account of the facts to the world, and to extradite the suspects concerned to Japan.

January 13, 2009

Shintaro Ishihara

Chairman, Assembled Governors for the Return of Victims of Abduction by North Korea

Governor of Tokyo

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Outline of the Letter to Barack Obama

President-Elect of the United States of America

We believe that the abduction of Japanese citizens by North Korea is an extremely grave matter that violates the victims’ human rights as well as Japan’s sovereignty.
We are seriously concerned with the present stalemate that prevents any progress toward resolution, including North Korea’s failure to conduct a reinvestigation based on the agreement of Japan-North Korea Working-Level Consultations.
We deeply regret that the current Bush Administration has rescinded the designation of North Korea as a State Sponsor of Terrorism.
We have assembled committed, like-minded prefectural governors of Japan to form the Assembled Governors for the Return of Victims of Abduction by North Korea in order to appeal for the prompt resolution of the abduction issue.
We ask that the United States understand Japan’s consistent “dialogue and pressure” approach toward North Korea and work together with Japan in calling for North Korea to take sincere and prompt action on this matter.

January 13, 2009

Shintaro Ishihara

Chairman, Assembled Governors for the Return of Victims of Abduction by North Korea

Governor of Tokyo

Concerns for Kidnapped expressed by outgoing Ambassador

2009-01-08T10:45:00.003+09:00

Ambassador Schieffer responded in an interview that his greatest disappointment during during his four year term as the U.S. Ambassador to Japan was not seeing the kidnapping issue resolved. Below is the link to the Asahi Shimbun article:

http://www.asahi.com/english/Herald-asahi/TKY200901070060.html

Radio plea to North Korea

2008-12-30T18:27:00.003+09:00

One of our activities include a radio broadcast "Shiokaze" to North Korea in Japanese, Korean, English, and Chinese.

Here's BBC News' report on Shiokaze published earlier this year:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7275598.stm

Former agents from U.S. and North Korea gather to discuss kidnapping issue

2008-12-30T18:13:00.005+09:00

Rescue Abductees hosted an international conference earlier this month in Tokyo with affiliated organizations and other supporters. The conference was held Former senior secret agents from U.S. and North Korea attended this conference with Japanese parliamentarians and experts to update each other on this issue. Speakers also discussed the outlook of the kidnapping issue, current rogue regime and the situation in North East Asia.

More details regarding the discussion will follow.

Expert warns the danger of State Department's single-mindedness to reach agreement with NK

2008-12-30T17:32:00.003+09:00

Anne Applebaum of the American Enterprise wrote in Washington Post back in October about the special situation in the Korean Peninsula. In the op-ed, she mentioned the kidnapping of Japanese and South Koreans by the North among other criminal activities the regime has been undertaking over the decades.

Link to the article:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/13/AR2008101302169.html

Obama won't neglect North abductees issue

2008-12-24T09:49:00.002+09:00

Here's some good sign for the families and the supporters of this organization.
A Japan Times article mentions that overall policy toward North Korea will not change in the foreseeable future in the next administration. Follow the link to the article:

http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20081217a3.html

Reports of Lebanese kidnapped by North Korea

2008-11-28T18:38:00.003+09:00

Attached is the report and the English translation from 1971 regarding the Lebanese women kidnapped by North Korea earlier that year.
The report shows the intentions and the process of abdcuting foreign nationals into the state.

Japanese woman kidnapped during cold war may still be alive

2008-11-25T10:50:00.002+09:00

Here's the report:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/nov/10/japan-korea

LDP lawmakers discuss draft on bill for additional sanctions on N. Korea

2008-11-24T14:27:00.003+09:00

LDP’s special committed for tackling the issue of North Korea’s abductions of Japanese nationals held its general meeting on November 21 and discussed the outlines for a bill calling for additional sanctions on North Korea. Aboult 30 LDP lawmakers including Keiji Furuya (Committee Chairman) and Eriko Yamatani (Secretary General) participated in the discussion. Kazuhide Ishikawa, Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau of the Foreign Ministry reported the current status on this issue. Takashi Kawachi of the ministry also attended the meeting. Mr. Iizka, Mr. Masumoto, Prof. Nishioka, and Mr. Hirata represented the family members and Rescue Abdcutees. (See LDP panel calls for total ban on exports, travel to N. Korea for more details.)

Request for additional sanctions

2008-11-24T14:20:00.000+09:00

Members of the Family Association and Rescue Abductees met with Cabinet Secretary Takeo Kawamura at the Prime Minister’s office to hand him a letter addressed to Prime Minister Aso requesting further sanctions on North Korea on November 21, 2008. The members of the organizations were able to obtain comments expressing the Cabinet’s intent on considering possibilities to pose further sanctions. Mr. Iizuka and Mr. Masumoto, Chairman and Secretary General of the Family Association, represented the victims family in the meeting. Professor Nishioka and Mr. Hirata from the Rescue Abductees accompanied the family members.

Our Members: Tsutomu Nishioka

2008-11-20T14:47:00.004+09:00

Tsutomu Nishioka is the Acting Chairman of the National Association for the Rescue of Japanese Kidnapped by North Korea (NARKN: Rescue Abductees). He is also a full-time Professor of East Asian Affairs at Tokyo Christian University.

(photo from: http://www.iza.ne.jp/images/news/20080618/89299_c450.jpg)

As the nation’s leading Korea expert, he has written and lectured extensively on issues of Japan-Korea history and affairs. Nishioka’s first visit to South Korea was on a student exchange program to Yonsei University. After graduating from International Christian University, Japan, he continued his study in Tsukuba University and received his M.A. in International Relations, concentration on Korea and North Korea Regional Studies.

His expertise in Korean society and culture was furthered during his two years mission at the Japan Embassy in Seoul. With his fluent Korean, he provided the Foreign Affairs Ministry and the Japanese government full investigative reports on regional matters.

A decade prior to becoming a full-time professor at Tokyo Christian University, Nishioka reported regional issues and topics related to Japan and neighboring Korea as the Chief Editor of Gendai Korea.

While teaching full-time Culture in Korea, East Asian Affairs, and Korean, he continues to write and lecture extensively on matters regarding the relationship between Japan and Korea, its closest neighbor. Nishioka regularly contributes to leading national news publications and broadcasts.

Our Members: Yoichi Shimada

2008-11-20T13:41:00.005+09:00

Vice Chairman: Yoichi Shimada

Yoichi Shimada is the Vice Chairman of the National Association for the Rescue of Japanese Kidnapped by North Korea (NARKN: Rescue Abductees). He is also a full-time Professor of International Politics in Fukui Prefectural University.

(Shimada is on the left in the photo)

Shimada was born and raised in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. He received his M.A. in Political Science from Kyoto University in 1982. He has written and lectured extensively on international affairs, with particular emphasis on Japan's North Korean policy.

Teaching full-time at Fukui Prefectural University, Japan, as Professor of International Politics, he is also known as a leading national expert on Japan’s foreign affairs policy. His views are respected and published regularly in many national news sources.

Click here for his statement at the Congressional Hearing

On Abduction of Foreign Citizens by North Korea Congressional

Professor Yoichi Shimada
April 27th, 2006
House Committee on International Relations: Subcommittee
on Asia and the Pacific and the Subcommittee on Africa,
Global Human Rights and International Operations

Kidnapping on a global scale.

2008-11-18T16:51:00.003+09:00

Most kidnappings committed by the North Korean regime occurred in the late 1970s. Known victims from Thailand, Lebanon, China, Malaysia, and Singapore were all kidnapped in 1978. Various testimonies confirm that the French, Italian, Dutch, Jordanian, Romanian, and Japanese victims were abducted during the late 1970s. A total of five high-school boys were kidnapped in series, all disappearing from the beach, from 1977 to 1978.

American soldiers close missing link

Four American soldiers deserted and fled to North Korea. All four American deserters married abducted foreign citizens in North Korea: Ms. Hitomi Soga from Japan, Ms. Siham Shraiteh from Lebanon, Ms. Anocha Panjoy from Thailand, and Romanian woman named Dona. Mr. Jenkins’ testimony after he repatriated to Japan in 2004 helped identify these women decades after they were abducted. Families of Ms. Siham Shratiteh, Ms. Anocha Panjoy, and Dona have joined our call to bring the victims back to their families. Children of these women are still held captive in North Korea.

Two Macanese were kidnapped together with Anocha. Che Eun Hui, a South Korean movie actress who succeeded in escaping from North Korea, knew one of the Macanese well when they were both detained. We know that the same incident took the Malaysians and the Singaporean away to North Korea. The Malaysian seen by Mr. Jenkins is known to be the same Malaysian that Che Eun Hui heard from other North Koreans.

The Lebanese victims were later rescued by their government in 1979. In their interviews by the Lebanese government, the women described North Korea’s operation to kidnap Europeans from the continent. The Lebanese told that they were put in a spy training camp and there they met 28 other European women. There were three women each from France and Italy, and two from Holland. Other women came from the Middle East and West European countries. This means that there could be more unknown victims of this crime. After the four Lebanese women were rescued by their government, only Shiham returned to North Korea because she was pregnant.

Che Eun Hui heard about a French victim from the barber cutting hairs at the “guest house” where kidnapped foreign nationals were detained. She has also met a Jordanian who is highly likely to be another victim of abduction. Kim Hyon Hee, a former North Korean agent responsible for the bombing of the Korean Airline in 1987, has also said she has heard of abducted foreign nationals from a woman managing the “facility to detain abducted foreigners.”

(Translated from our latest Japanese flyer)

More About Us

2008-11-18T14:38:00.004+09:00

The National Association for the Rescue of Japanese Kidnapped by North Korea (NARKN or the ‘Rescue Abductees’) is a coalition of non-profit organizations which shares the common goal of rescuing all the victims abducted by North Korea. Since its first conference in Tokyo in April 1998, the NARKN has worked as the nation-wide association. It is currently formed by 39 local NGOs and one youth organization (as of December 9th, 2006).

In October 2002, the Government officially confirmed 15 Japanese as abduction victims, adding Hitomi Soga and her mother Miyoshi Soga to the previous list of thirteen. The Government further acknowledged Minoru Tanaka as the 16th victim in April 2005 and Kyoko Matsumoto as the 17th in November 2006.

Beside these officially recognized 17 abductees, the NARKN believes many others were kidnapped by the North Koreans, including Shoji Terakoshi, Sotoo Terakoshi, Takeshi Terakoshi, Kenzo Kozumi, Kimiko Fukutome, Kumiko Kato, and Ryoko Furukawa.

The Investigation Commission on Missing Japanese Probably Related to North Korea (COMJAN. NARKN’s sister organization which conducts research on ‘potential victims’ abducted by North Korea.) has compiled a list of over 400 suspicious cases. (See the Abducted Victims List for further details.)

Rescuing abducted citizens is an outstanding issue not only for Japan but also for others including, most notably, South Korea. The South Korean government has publicly announced 83,000 victims kidnapped by North Korea during the Korean War and an additional 489 victims after the war. Actual number of victims would be much higher than these figures. Families of the South Korean victims had also established an association in year 2000 and ever since are in close cooperation with the NARKN to rescue all the victims kidnapped by North Korea.

Representatives of AFVKN and NARKN have met Thai, Lebanese, and Chinese family members of abductees several times and built cooperative relationships. Some cases could be confirmed through these meetings. Delegation composed by AFVKN and NARKN leaders flew to New York and visited UN Permanent Representative offices of affected countries in October, 2006, to exchange views and secure close ties.

Proactive Japanese Parliamentarians have formed a non-partisan committee named the Parliamentarian League for Early Repatriation of Japanese Citizens Kidnapped by North Korea (currently chaired by Rep. Takeo Hiranuma). Also, 26 local assemblymen’s organizations for the rescue of abductees have been formed nationwide (as of December 9th, 2006).

The NARKN is vigorously seeking not only the rescue of all the Japanese and South Korean abductees but liberation of all the oppressed people in North Korea. We sincerely ask for your support.

Japanese Government to Refrain From Unprincipled Concessions to North Korea on Nuclear and Abduction Issues

2008-11-18T14:38:00.001+09:00

Statememt Issued May 27, 2008

League of Parliamentarians for Early Repatriation of Japanese Citizens Kidnapped by North Korea

Urgent Resolution

Urging Refrain From Unprincipled Concessions to North Korea on Nuclear and Abduction Issues.

We, the League of Parliamentarians for the Early Repatriation of Japanese Citizens Kidnapped by North Korea, have publicly warned since last year that the US-Japan alliance would be seriously jeopardized if the United States removes North Korea from the List of State Sponsors of Terrorism before North Korea has made a “complete and correct” nuclear declaration and while there has been no progress on the abduction issue.

Last November, seven Diet members representing this League, headed by Chairman Takeo Hiranuma, along with representatives of both the Families of Abduction Victims and its supporting organization, visited Washington DC and conveyed this message to relevant officials of the U.S. Administration and the Congress. Since then we have noted mounting criticism in the Congress over the negotiating posture of the State Department and followed the legislation passed by the U.S. House of Representatives in May that would prohibit hasty delisting of North Korea from the Terrorism List.

Members of this league returned to Washington DC this year in early May, again accompanied by representatives of the Families of Abduction Victims and supporting organization, for additional meetings. At that time, Assistant Secretary Christopher Hill clearly remarked that the U.S. does not have information on where North Korea’s nuclear bombs are manufactured and that it is a problem.

North Korea continues to deny the existence of its enriched uranium program and nuclear proliferation to Syria and other countries while trivializing the debate on its plutonium development program into merely a question of the quantity of plutonium extracted. Defiantly, it has obscured critical information about its nuclear bomb manufacturing facilities and actual number of bombs. Moreover, North Korea steadfastly refuses to discuss the abduction issue, claiming it is already resolved.

North Korea’s intermediate nuclear missiles constitute a grave threat to Japan and the abduction of Japanese nationals is a flagrant violation of Japan’s sovereignty. Should the United States as an ally of Japan ever make an unprincipled concession either on the nuclear front or the abduction issue, Japan’s trust in the United States, which is the basis of the alliance, would be greatly shaken.

Therefore, we the League of Parliamentarians strongly urge both the Japanese and the U.S. Governments to adhere to the following:

1. The Japanese government should strengthen its diplomatic effort toward the United States so that the U.S. Government would not make any unprincipled concession on either the nuclear program declaration or the abduction issue. If the United States and North Korea ever reach an agreement with an insufficient nuclear declaration, the Japanese government should not recognize the agreement.

2. The United States’ government should not lift North Korea from the Terrorist List without a complete and correct declaration of its entire nuclear program and resolution of the abduction issue or it would amount to de facto acceptance of North Korea’s nuclear armament and its acts of abduction.

Adopted: May 27, 2008

HIRANUMA, Takeo（Independent）

Chairman

ABE, Shinzo（Liberal Democratic Party, LDP）

Senior Adviser

NAKAGAWA, Shoichi（LDP）

Acting Chairman

NAKAI, Hiroshi（Democratic Party of Japan, DPJ）

Acting Chairman

HARAGUCHI, Kazuhiro（DPJ）

Vice Chairman

YAMATANI, Eriko（LDP）

Vice Chairman

URUSHIBARA, Yoshio（New Komeito）

Vice Chairman

ETO, Seiichi（LDP）

Vice Chairman

NAKAGAWA, Yoshio（LDP）

Vice Chairman

NISHIMURA, Singo（Independent）

Director General

FURUYA, Keiji（LDP）

Secretary General

MATSUBARA, Jin（DPJ）

Acting Secretary General

* The League is made up of 203 members from both houses of Diet.

Working closely with Japanese Parliamentarians

2008-11-18T14:37:00.001+09:00

League of Parliamentarians for Early Repatriation of Japanese Citizens was officially formed in April 2002. Former defense minister Shigeru Ishiba (current farm minister) headed the league at the time. This bipartisan group includes 203 parliamentarians from both Houses of the Representatives and the Councilors.

Regular meetings with members of the Family Association and Rescue Abroad and the League of Parliamentarians take place and lines of communication are open among the organizations. We frequently coordinate nationwide campaigns and international visits with the diet members.

The members of the league call for tougher measures, including economic sanctions, against North Korea.

Click here for the latest statement by the League of Parliamentarians.

Some of the key members include:

Chairman of the League, former commerce minister, Takeo Hiranuma (Independent);

Senior Advisor, former Prime Minister of Japan, Shinzo Abe (LDP);

Acting Chairman, finance minister, Shoichi Nakagawa (LDP);

Acting Chairman, former justice minster, Hiroshi Nakai (DPJ);

Vice Chairman, Kazuhiro Haraguchi (DPJ);

Vice Chairman, Eriko Yamatani (LDP);

Vice Chairman, Yoshio Urashiba (New Komeito);

Vice Chairman, Seiichi Eto (LDP);

Vice Chairman, Yoshio Nakagawa (LDP);

Director General, Shingo Nishimura (Independent);

Secretary General, Kenji Furuya (LDP);

Acting Secretary General, Jin Matsubara (DPJ)

(The photo shows the members of the League on a mission with Rescue Abductees to Washington, DC to discuss the abduction issue with U.S. government officials in February 2008.)

Family members meet U.S. President

2008-11-18T14:35:00.002+09:00

Many years of hard work partially paid off for members of our organization when President George W. Bush met with Sakie Yokota, mother of Megumi Yokota kidnapped by North Korea on April 28, 2006.

Mrs. Yokota and son, Takuya, were greeted at the Oval Office with Kim Han-Mee, the daughter of North Korean defectors.

President claimed that the meeting with Mrs. Yokota as

“one of the most moving meetings since I've been the President here in the Oval Office.”

American awareness regarding this grave issue was boosted by this meeting. It also provided some relief to the family members and supporting activists for the hard work over the decades.

Click here for the President's comment and here for the youtube video.

*photos are from the White House website:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/04/images/20060428-1_p042806pm-0256jpg-515h.html

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/04/images/20060428-1_p042806pm-0188jpg-515h.html

Rescue Abductees works closely with the Family Association

2008-11-18T14:32:00.002+09:00

The Association of the Families of Victims Kidnapped by North Korea (AFVKN), the "Family Association," was founded in March, 1997, when the kidnap of Megumi Yokota became clear based on a former North Korean agent's testimony. Some families searching

for their sons, daughters, brothers and sisters, and had grounds to suspect that family members were held captive in North Korea decided to go public and urge Japanese governments to resolve this issue with the North Korean regime. Since then, the families and members of Rescue Abductees have raised national and internatioal awareness of this issue through petitions, sit-outs and conferences.

Board members of the family association are as follows: