Top �� What's up around the Prime Minister �� March, 2002

Prime Minister Koizumi Meets Relatives of Alleged Abductees Tuesday, March 19, 2002 At the Prime Minister's Official Residence, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi met with fourteen relatives of the Japanese alleged to have been abducted to North Korea. The relatives, including the parents of Keiko Arimoto, allegedly abducted in 1983, made an appeal to the Prime Minister to promptly solve these incidents. Following the meeting, Prime Minister Koizumi expressed his intent to strive to solve the cases, stating, "Although more than 20 years have passed since the abductions, I am sure that not a moment goes by when you do not think of your loved ones. This is an issue for our entire nation, and I will demand that North Korea respond properly."