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Prime Minister Shinzo Abe attended a citizens’ rally at Hibiya Public Hall entitled “We cannot wait any longer: We want results this year!”

The Prime Minister said in his address,

“I would like to offer a few remarks on the holding of this citizens’ rally by the Association of the Families of Victims Kidnapped by North Korea (AFVKN), National Association for the Rescue of Japanese Kidnapped by North Korea (NARKN), 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 Commission for National Consultation of Regional Assemblies on the Abduction Issue.
I understand that family members must be wondering how many times they must hold these types of rallies before their abducted children and family members can return to Japan. Nevertheless, today you have come together in this venue from regions across the country to firmly demand that North Korea resolve this problem. There is no question that your voices will genuinely add to the strength of those of us currently carrying out negotiations.
Since I was first elected I have been consistently involved in the issues relating to North Korea, particularly the abduction issue. One difficulty is that North Korea is reluctant to tell the truth and does not carry out its promises. In the past, Japan had few methods for overcoming this. The legislation for the sanctions we are currently implementing was more or less non-existent previously. However, together with the other countries concerned by these issues, we have created the legislation to implement sanctions, and are currently implementing them. We are implementing those sanctions with the international community. Our aim is to make North Korea realize that it has no future unless it resolves its problems with the international community. Simultaneously, in negotiations, the issue of whether or not these sanctions will be lifted gives us an important strength in negotiations. I am determined to seek a resolution while capitalizing on these negotiating strengths.
Previously, at the Six-Party Talks in 2007 at the time of the first Abe administration, North Korea requested fuel oil support and humanitarian aid in return for effectively abandoning nuclear development and making nuclear weapons extracted from plutonium. The decision was made for the five members of the Six-Party Talks other than North Korea to provide 1 million tons of support, with each country providing 200,000 tons. However, I refused, stating that the Government of Japan could not supply 200,000 tons of fuel oil while the abduction issue remained unresolved. Ultimately, and regrettably, North Korea subsequently did not fulfil its promise to abandon nuclear weapons. I believe the important thing is to move negotiations forward based on the principle of action for action.
Since I became Prime Minister I have visited 49 countries and held 200 summit meetings, and without exception, on every occasion I have explained the abduction issue to the partner country and received support and cooperation. Chair Hiranuma and other members of the Parliamentarian League for Early Repatriation of Japanese Citizens Kidnapped by North Korea also share their message with the world, and thanks also to the immense efforts of the families of the abductees, I believe the understanding of the international community is much greater than it was 10 years ago. As a result, the United Nations Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea has concluded that North Korea’s human rights violations, including the abduction issue, amount to crimes against humanity. I believe that we must make an all-out effort to fully resolve the abduction issue while ramping up international pressure in this way. Resolving the abduction issue is one of the Abe administration’s top priorities. The fact is that the Government cannot resolve this issue on its own. We must draw on the cooperation of Diet members across party lines and Japan overall. Via the liaison network with each party that was created when Minister Furuya was minister in charge, we will continue to cooperate closely with each party and work towards fully resolving this issue.
In the recent reshuffle Ms. Yamatani, who until now had been Chair of the Liberal Democratic Party’s (LDP) Headquarters for North Korean Abductions, was made minister in charge, and Mr. Furuya became Chair of the LDP’s Headquarters for North Korean Abductions. They will continue to work wholeheartedly on this issue while coordinating with the Government, the LDP, the ruling parties and the opposition parties. However, the fact is that time is gradually running out. The families are getting older as the years pass. Our mission will not be complete until the day comes when the families of the victims are able to embrace their abducted relatives in their arms, and I would like to conclude my remarks by pledging to continue to make an all-out effort with that spirit. Thank you.”