About 250 relatives and supporters of missing Japanese who were allegedly abducted by North Korean agents staged a demonstration march Sunday in Tokyo, asking Japan to push the matter in normalization talks this week.
Among the demonstrators was Sakie Yokota, the 64-year-old mother of Megumi Yokota, who vanished at age 13 in Niigata on the Sea of Japan coast in 1977.
"There will be no normalization of relations between the two countries without a settlement of the abduction issue," Yokota said at the rally. "We want the Japanese government to tell the North Korean side, 'We cannot compromise on this issue.' "
Some demonstrators carried placards bearing such messages as "We are against setting aside the abduction issue" and "North Korea, return the abducted Japanese."
The demonstrators marched from the Ginza district to Hibiya Park in central Tokyo.
Japanese authorities say they believe 10 Japanese were abducted by North Korean agents in the 1970s and 1980s.
North Korea reportedly proposed discussing what it calls "missing" Japanese in talks between Red Cross representatives of the two countries held in parallel with the normalization negotiations.
Japan and North Korea will hold their second round of talks on establishing diplomatic ties today and Thursday in Tokyo and Kisarazu, Chiba Prefecture.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Hidenao Nakagawa expressed hope Monday for a breakthrough on various pending issues between Japan and North Korea during the talks.
"(The government) hopes to persevere with discussions on various unsettled issues between Japan and North Korea," Nakagawa said during a regular press conference.
He added it is important to work in "close cooperation" with the United States and South Korea to normalize diplomatic relations with North Korea that will lead to peace and stability in Northeast Asia.