Japanese PM Secures U.S. Commitment on North Korea Abduction Issue

February 20, 2025

By The South Asia Times

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba assured the families of Japanese nationals abducted by North Korea decades ago that U.S. President Donald Trump has pledged to address the issue if Washington-Pyongyang talks resume.

According to Kyodo News, Ishiba confirmed that he had secured Trump’s "full support" in resolving the long-standing abduction matter. "We agreed that he (Trump) will be sure to raise the issue" in any future U.S.-North Korea negotiations, Ishiba stated.

His remarks followed a recent meeting with Trump in Washington earlier this month.

The Japanese government maintains that North Korea abducted 17 of its citizens in the 1970s and 1980s. Five of them were repatriated in 2002 following a visit to Pyongyang by then-Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi.

North Korea admitted in 2002 that it had abducted 13 Japanese nationals during the 1970s and 1980s, compelling them to train its spies in Japanese language and customs.