Prime Minister Shinzo Abe attended the first meeting of the Expert Forum on the Abduction Issue at the Prime Minister's Office.

The Prime Minister said in his opening address,

"The abduction issue is one of critical importance concerning the sovereignty of Japan and the lives and safety of the Japanese people. It is the Government's responsibility to resolve this issue and it is being treated as an urgent and utmost priority. I am determined to make it my mission to squarely resolve this issue.
After being appointed Prime Minister, I have pledged to make every effort to achieve concrete results and progress which are visible to the families of the abductees as well. At the same time, in order to promote comprehensive measures regarding the abduction issue, the Government has newly set up the Headquarters on the Abduction Issue, which is comprised of all Ministers of State, and decided on the Abe administration's basic policy for resolving the abduction issue.
Today, we are joined by those who have deep insight of the abduction issue and the situation in North Korea. I hope that everyone at this forum will make recommendations for the resolution of this issue based on their expert opinions.
The Government will explore and review a variety of measures for resolving the abduction issue."