• 
• 

On September 28, 2017, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe held a meeting with families of abductees and others at the Prime Minister's Office.

The Prime Minister said in his address,

“The last time we met I promised that I would discuss the importance of the abduction issue at the General Assembly of the United Nations in my address at the General Debate, and that I would emphasize to the leaders of each country, including President Trump, just how important the abduction issue is, not only for Japan, but the entire world. Today, I would like to report on these promises. First, I would like to express my gratitude to all of you for taking the time out of your busy schedules to visit the Prime Minister’s Office.

During my address at the General Debate, I emphasized the importance of the abduction issue for Japan and the egregious violation of human rights it represents. I will urge the international community to work together to resolve this issue. During the Japan-U.S. Summit Meeting with President Trump and the Japan-U.S.-Republic of Korea Summit Meeting, I emphasized to those in attendance the importance of resolving the current nuclear issue and abduction issue in unison. Also, I thanked President Trump for becoming the first U.S. President to talk about Ms. Megumi Yokota and the abduction issue during an address to the General Debate. Furthermore, I explained that I would like to work together in the future to resolve the abduction issue and the United States has agreed to cooperate. I will continue to emphasize the importance of this abduction issue to the international community.

At the United Nations General Assembly, I took the opportunity to hold summit meetings with President Emmanuel Macron of France and other leaders, where I talked about the importance of the abduction issue. 

Afterwards, I would like to provide all of you with a more detailed report on my activities.”