Three local assemblies in Kyushu separately adopted written opinions Thursday pressing the central government to fully investigate North Korea's abductions of Japanese citizens.
The written opinions, unanimously adopted by the Nagasaki Municipal Assembly and the Kagoshima and Kumamoto prefectural assemblies, will be sent to the central government.
The opinion adopted by the Kagoshima demands a thorough investigation into the abductions, severe punishment of those who were behind them, and the return of the abductees confirmed to be alive in the communist state. Unless these steps are achieved, Japan should not resume normalization talks with North Korea, it says.