Prime Minister Shinzo Abe attended the National Rally for the Rescue of All Abductees held at Hibiya Public Hall.

The Prime Minister said in his address,

"Today, this National Rally is being organized by the Association of the Families of Victims Kidnapped by North Korea (AFVKN), the National Association for the Rescue of Japanese Kidnapped by North Korea (NARKN), the Parliamentarian League for Early Repatriation of Japanese Citizens Kidnapped by North Korea, the Assembled Governors for the Return of Victims of Abduction by North Korea, and the Commission for National Consultation of Regional Assemblies on the Abduction Issue. I would just like to make some brief remarks on this occasion.
Tomorrow, September 17, will mark the 11th year since I visited North Korea with Prime Minister Koizumi. As Chair Hiranuma of the Parliamentarian League stated a short while ago, both Prime Minister Koizumi and I visited North Korea. The day before that, on September 16, there were reports that we might return to Japan with Ms. Yaeko Taguchi, Ms. Megumi Yokota, Ms. Keiko Arimoto and many others. However, we were told on September 17 by the North Korean side about the unfortunate death of eight abductees. Even today, I have not forgotten the shock I felt at that time.
However, at the strong insistence of the AFVKN, we looked into the matter once more, and it came to light that North Korea's explanation of the cause of death, as well as the date and time of death, were untrustworthy. Ever since then, the number of people that we have confirmed as having been abducted has grown steadily. In addition to the victims whose abduction has been confirmed, there are also many others who may possibly have been abducted as well.
Our mission is to allow all of the families of the abductees to be able to embrace their children or family members. Aiming for that, the mission of the Abe administration will not be complete until that day. This is our resolve.
The Abe administration is determined to find a way to resolve this issue. Within the Abe administration, I have had House of Representatives member Keiji Furuya, who has a thorough knowledge of this issue, serve as the Minister in charge of the Abduction Issue. People working in support of Minister Furuya include Mr. Jin Matsubara, who is in attendance today, and many others from each party. I want to reach across party lines and find a way to resolve this issue through a nationwide effort. Unless we combine our knowledge and information, this issue will not be resolved.
Since assuming the position of Prime Minister, I have already visited 20 countries. I always explain the abduction issue to the leaders of each country and ask for their understanding and support. I am happy to say that the United Nations has created a new Commission of Inquiry, and recently Chairman Michael Kirby visited Japan. 
However, there are still countries around the world that cannot be said to sufficiently understand this issue. For this reason, I believe we must go further and thoroughly accumulate efforts to ensure that the international community share a common recognition of this issue with us, and we must apply greater pressure on North Korea.
More than anything else, the resolution of this issue requires the North Korean side to realize that they must resolve the issue and that if they do not, they will not be able to be prosperous as a nation in the future. I want to exert pressure while calling on North Korea for dialogue.
We will always stand together with the abductees and their families.
With this thought, I want to close my address by pledging that I will continue to exert my utmost effort for the resolution of this issue. Let us all work together toward that."