Statement by the Press Secretary/Director-General for Press and Public Relations, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on the Issue of the Abduction of Japanese Nationals

January 26, 2005

In the afternoon of January 26, through the "embassy" channel in Beijing, North Korea sent to Japan a memorandum as of January 24 (original text in Hangul) that includes its stance on the results of the tests conducted by Japan of bone fragments which North Korea claims are a part of Ms. Megumi Yokota's remains, and again requested Japan to return them.
On the information and material evidence in general submitted by North Korea on the occasion of the third round of the Japan-North Korea Working-level Consultations in November 2004, Japan, on December 25, 2004, reported the test results to North Korea and protested against North Korea's presentation. Although Japan has, since then, requested North Korea to take prompt and satisfying measures, North Korea's handling is deplorable, as it does not meet Japan's requirements. Japan has to state that such a response offered by North Korea is extremely unconstructive in advancing Japan-North Korea relations in accordance with the Pyongyang Declaration.
As it has announced already, the Government of Japan will have to take "stringent measures" toward North Korea, if this remains the response of that country, and intends to further explore the possibility of actual implementation.
At any rate, Chairman Kim Jong-Il of the DPRK National Defense Commission himself promised to reexamine the matter of the missing abducted Japanese nationals, so it is the North Korean side that is responsible for producing a response that is able to convince the Japanese side, based on the Pyongyang Declaration. The Government of Japan intends to continue urging North Korea to clarify the truth of the material and other types of evidence that it presented and to immediately allow the survivors to return home.

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