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             Japan's Abe Refuses Comment on Envoy's Trip to NKorea

   Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe refused to comment Wednesday about
   an unexpected trip by a government envoy to long-time foe North Korea.
   Isao Iijima, an aide to Prime Minister Abe, arrived Tuesday in
   Pyongyang. He was greeted at the airport by Kim Chol Ho, vice director
   of North Korea`s Asian Affairs Department.
   The purpose of the trip remains unclear. But some Japanese media
   speculate it may be related to Tokyo`s push for more information about
   Japanese nationals kidnapped by North Korea in the 1970s and 1980s.
   When asked about the issue at a parliamentary committee, Prime Minister
   Abe had little to say.
   "Again, I have no comment on reports regarding Iijima visiting North
   Korea. However, our fundamental objective is to resolve the abduction
   issue including the return of all abductees, revelation of the truth,
   and the handover of the perpetrator to Japan."
   North Korea has admitted it kidnapped some Japanese in order force them
   to teach the Japanese language and culture to North Korean spies. But
   it says all the abductees have since been returned or died. Some in
   Japan suspect the North is still hiding survivors and has abducted more
   people than it admits.
   In recent months, North Korea has threatened to wage a nuclear war
   against Tokyo, as part of a wider response to those who supported
   expanded United Nations sanctions against its nuclear program.
   Japanese Prime Minister Abe has taken a tougher stance on the North
   Korean nuclear and abductee issues, though Tokyo`s foreign ministry has
   said the "door is not closed" to dialogue with the North.
   Iijima, the Japanese envoy visiting North Korea, was a top aide to
   ex-Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, who held talks with North Korean
   officials in Pyongyang in 2002 and 2004.
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   [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/japans-abe-refuses-comment-on-envoys-
   trip-to-nkorea/1661254.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/japans-abe-refuses-comment-on-envoys-trip-to-nkorea/1661254.html