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Reception Hosted by Minister in charge of the Abduction Issue Furuya
Monday, March 3, 2014
Photograph of the Prime Minister delivering an address
Photograph of the Prime Minister attending a commemorative photograph session with the members of the families of the abductees
Photograph of the Prime Minister conversing with members of the families of the abductees
Photograph of the Prime Minister shaking hands with members of the families of the abductees
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe attended a reception hosted by Minister in charge of the Abduction Issue Furuya held at a hotel in Tokyo.
The Prime Minister said in his address,
"This year, the UN Commission of Inquiry (COI) released its final report, which I believe made clear that this abduction issue is a human rights violation.
I am truly sorry to say that, unfortunately, although many years have already passed, we are still far from achieving a complete resolution to the abduction issue. That said, we have finally made progress on achieving international understanding. This is something that we aimed for. Now that this understanding is growing not only in Japan, but also globally, we must create conditions under which North Korea decides that it has no choice but to resolve this issue. This is essential for the resolution of the abduction issue and I believe we have finally found a way to create such conditions.
I myself have visited 36 countries up to this point, and in principle, at all my summit meetings I ask leaders for their understanding and support for Japan's position.
North Korea is in the midst of the transition from the Kim Jong-Il regime to the Kim Jong-Un regime and we would like to turn this into an opportunity. We will in principle continue our efforts to date, adopting a stance of dialogue and pressure. In doing so, we very much hope to seize even the smallest of chances to enter into dialogue and seek to bring about a resolution.
Furthermore, as international cooperation grows, within the Abe administration we are determined that our mission will not be complete until the day comes when you yourselves are all able to embrace your abducted children and family members. I intend to make continuous efforts towards achieving this.
Quite a long time has passed, but I strongly hope that you will await the coming of that day without ever giving up.
I would like to end my remarks by pledging to continue to exert every effort to resolve this issue."
