Source:
https://scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/2020278/families-japanese-nationals-kidnapped-north-korea-call
Asia/ East Asia

Families of Japanese nationals kidnapped by North Korea call for government action

Kenichi Ichikawa (far left), whose younger brother Shuichi was abducted to North Korea at age 23 in 1978, speaks to reporters. Photo: Kyodo

Family members of Japanese nationals kidnapped by North Korea decades ago urged the government on Saturday to seek the swift return of their kin, as Japan marked the 14th anniversary since Pyongyang admitted to the abductions.

“I hope [the government] will put priority on the abduction issue and deal with it separately from missile and nuclear issues,” Shigeo Iizuka, head of the abductees’ family group, said at a gathering of the abductees’ kin and their supporters.