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Return of the abducted victims' families to Japan --- Dissolving their separation is a top priority


16 months have passed since Mr.and Mrs. Ikemura who were victims of abduction by North Korea came back home. Their separation with their children who still stay there has to be avoided any more. The return of the victims' family has to be a humanitarian issue which should be solved with a first priority, without political speculation. Japanese government has to deal with this issue with a flexible attitude in the negotiation with Pyongyan ,such as regarding the means that victims welcome their families in the Pyongyan Airport.

Mr. and Mrs.Ikemura have three children. Accoding to the letter which was sent last summer from them, they moved from each one's school dometory and began to live in the apartment where Mr.and Mrs.Ikemura lived in Pyongyang. Olders daughter graduated from the university of education last spring and younger son is in the time of entering college. In the news conference in the end of last year, Mr.Ikemura said " If they don't come back home to Japan in this very important time for them, it cannot be expected what will happen to their lives. He was cautious about that the children's lives were taken root in North Korea.

Regarding the returning of the abducted victims' family, Pyongyang has insisted that Japan broke the promise that it would return the five victims to North Korea. On the other hand,Tokyo has called for the families' return home with no condition. The two sides has remained as far apart as ever. Mr.Ikemura said " the two sides wouldn't negotiate and compromise and this issue wouldn't make progress" with expressing his dissatisfaction

The familys' returning issue is the humanitarian issue which both Tokyo and Pyoungyang are aware of. It should be cut off from other issues and the situation to solve this issue should be built by both sides. Pyongyang accuses Japan by saying "Japan broked the promise" , but they doesn't need to shlve the small misunderstanding in the negotiation and we have to try to solve the misunderstanding. The plan that the victims are going to Pyonyang to greet their family should be left in our plan as a option, on the ground that Tokyo can absolutely materialize it.

Some people are concerned about that Pyonyang will try to finish the abduction issue if the five victims' families could come back home. Mr.Ikemura acknowledge the posibility, saying " Pyonyang aims at that" and candidly said " I'm only thinking that I want to have my children come back to us and I have no idea about any response after that". Naturally for Mr.and Mrs.Ikemura, it is most important that their children could come and live with them in Japan.

Of course it is also an important issue to investigate the whereabouts of missing people who were highly possibly abducted by Pyonyang according to the authority and to confirm the life or death of abducted people who are reported to have been dead by Pyonyang to Tokyo in the Japan-North Korea summit on September in 2002. Even if Pyonyang is trying to end this issue, Tokyo has to tenaciously continue to negotiate with the five victims' families' coming home as a breakthrough

The father of Mr.Ikemura are worried about that he couldn't see recently Mr.and Mrs.Ikemura's smiling face which everyone could see when they came back home on October 15th in 2002. If Mr.and Mrs Ikemura had to keep putting up with the situation, the state that the abducted victims hadn't be rescued although their parents had asked for for 24 years would repeat again.

Pyonyang has to notice that it will be disadvantage for them that they are trying to take further schemes regarding the abduction issue which they committed. As long as there is strong antipathy among Japanese people against Pyonyang, there is deffinitely no chance that Japan will normalize the diplomatic relationship with Pyonyang and give economic aids plan to them.