Families Ask for U.S. Cooperation over N. Korea's Abduction

   Washington, April 30 (Jiji Press)--A group of families of Japanese nationals abducted by North Korea decades ago asked for U.S. cooperation Wednesday to resolve the issue.
   At a news conference in Washington, the group, together with a Japanese nonpartisan lawmaker team on the issue, asked that U.S. President Donald Trump raise the abduction issue if he has an opportunity to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
   The two groups made a similar request to senior Trump administration officials, including principal deputy national security adviser Alex Wong in a meeting the same day. Group members said they received strong support from the U.S. side, although details of the meeting were not disclosed.
   "We've gained many supporters. (Our U.S. visit) was meaningful in both timing and content," said Takuya Yokota, head of the family group. His sister is Megumi, abducted in 1977 when she was 13 years old.
   During his first term, Trump met with Kim several times and raised the abduction issue.

(2025/05/01-13:51)