Japan and North Korea are expected to discuss the abduction issue on a bilateral basis during the six-nation talks on the North Korean nuclear crisis to be held late this month in Beijing. Japanese negotiators should demand that Pyongyang address this issue in good faith and allow abductees' relatives who remain in the North to leave for Japan as soon as possible.
China, the host nation and a longtime friend of North Korea, can play a useful role in resolving this humanitarian problem, which involves more than a dozen Japanese nationals who were kidnapped by North Korean agents in the 1970s and 1980s. Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing, in a meeting Monday with Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi, expressed sympathy: "I understand this is a very important issue for the Japanese people." It is hoped that Russia -- which also has friendly ties with the North -- will likewise use its influence.
The kidnapping of Japanese citizens by North Korea constitutes not only a serious violation of Japanese sovereignty but also a heinous state crime. As such, this is not an issue that should be addressed on a give-and-take basis. North Korea should let the abductees' relatives go to Japan immediately and unconditionally.