Japan to press ahead with N. Korea talks

The fate of the 13 Japanese kidnapped by North Korean agencts remains an emotive issue

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TOKYO, Japan -- Japan is to go ahead with talks on normalizing ties with North Korea, despite growing anger over the recent admission that North Korean agents had kidnapped more than a dozen Japanese nationals during the 1970s and 80s.

Announcing the move Monday, Japanese cabinet spokesman Yasuo Fukuda said the government acknowledged the public outrage over the issue but said talks with officials from Pyongyang would begin as scheduled later this month.

"The abduction issue is not something that we can simply put on the shelf or make a compromise over," The Associated Press quoted him saying. "We will stand firm," he vowed.

The stunning admission that North Korean agents had -- as many in Japan suspected -- kidnapped 13 Japanese nationals came during last month's visit to Pyongyang by Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi.

The visit and meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Il was the first ever by a Japanese leader.

According to the normally reclusive Kim the abductions were part of what he called a "misguided" effort to train North Korean spies in the Japanese language and culture.

He apologized for the abductions and told the Japanese leader he would ensure they never happened again.

Graves

According to North Korean officials, of the 13 abducted only five are still alive -- one of them is said to be married to a former U.S. soldier who defected to the North in the 1960s.

However, families of those abducted have accused Pyongyang of lying about the fate of their relatives.

Suspicions have been raised, at least partially, by a statement from North Korea that the graves of all but one of those who died had been washed away by floods, leaving no remains for genetic identification.

Of those abductees who remain alive, North Korea has said all have expressed a wish to see their families again but do not want to leave North Korea, where they now have families and lives of their own.

Relatives back in Japan have poured scorn on such claims, saying North Korean authorities have forced them to say that.

The families have been urging the Japanese government to press North Korea for a full account of what happened to the abductees, saying in the meantime talks on normalization of diplomatic ties should be put on hold.

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