Japanese Government Rejects North Korea’s Claim of Resolved Kidnapping Issue

Japanese Secretariat: “We cannot accept at all the claim that the kidnapping issue has been resolved.”

The Japanese government announced on the 16th that it is “taking note” of a statement made by North Korea’s Workers’ Party Vice-Minister Kim Yo-jong, saying that North Korea-Japan relations could advance rapidly if Japan makes a decision.

According to the Nippon Keizai Shimbun (Nikkei) and the private TBS News, Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi, a spokesperson for the Japanese government, announced this at a press conference after the Cabinet meeting this morning.

He also countered that North Korea’s “Vice-Chairman Kim’s claim that the kidnapping issue (of Japanese nationals) has already been resolved is completely unacceptable.”

Chief Cabinet Secretary Hayashi said, “Prime Minister (Fumio Kishida) has said that he will push for high-level consultation under his direct control to realize the (North Korea-Japan) summit. “To this end, we are constantly making efforts through various channels,” he explained.

Regarding the evaluation of Vice-Chairman Kim’s statement, he said, “I will refrain from clarifying anything because it may affect future negotiations.”

In addition, in accordance with the North Korea-Japan Pyongyang Declaration of 2002, the Japanese government emphasized its position by saying, “There is no change in the policy of comprehensively resolving various issues such as kidnappings, nuclear weapons, and missiles.”

The North-Japan-Pyongyang Declaration is a declaration adopted by then-Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and National Defense Chairman Kim Jong-il while visiting Pyongyang on September 17, 2002. Kim Jong-il acknowledged the kidnapping for the first time and apologized. Five kidnapping victims also returned to Japan.

However, the Japanese government claims that the return of the 12 kidnapping victims did not materialize. North Korea’s position is that there are no problems that need to be resolved.

Earlier, on the 15th, Vice Minister Kim said in a statement released through the Korean Central News Agency that Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida spoke at the Budget Committee of the House of Representatives on the 9th, saying, “There is a need to boldly change the current status quo in North Korea-Japan relations.” “I feel strongly about it,” he said.

Vice Minister Kim said, “If Prime Minister Kishida’s recent remarks were based on his sincere intention to boldly break away from the restraints of the past and advance the DPRK-Japan (North Korea-Japan) relationship, I see no reason why they could not be evaluated as positive.”

In addition, he claimed that the relationship between the two countries has deteriorated because Japan has raised the “kidnapping issue, which has already been resolved,” and the nuclear and missile issues.

Vice Minister Kim said, “If Japan courageously abandons its anachronistic sense of hostility and unrealizable obsession and makes a political decision to open a new way to improve relations through polite conduct and faithful actions on the basis of mutual recognition, the two countries will be able to do so.” “We can open a new future together,” he emphasized.

However, Vice Minister Kim noted that this statement was his personal opinion.

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2024-02-16 05:10:00