Japan, DPRK fail to reach agreement on abduction issue: report

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Sunday, February 15, 2004

Japan, DPRK fail to reach agreement on abduction issue: report

Japan and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) have failed to reach an agreement over the abducted Japanese issue, the leading Asahi Shimbun newspaper reported Sunday.

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Japan and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) have failed to reach an agreement over the abducted Japanese issue, the leading Asahi Shimbun newspaper reported Sunday.

A high-level government delegation returned to Tokyo Saturday after a visit to Pyongyang from Wednesday.

During the talks, Japan reiterated its demand the DPRK send back family members of five abducted Japanese, while the DPRK insisted on the prerequisite that the five should go back to Pyongyang first, the report said.

The DPRK also denied Japan's demand to investigate the whereabouts of 10 other missing Japanese who the DPRK said had either died or never been abducted, according to the report.

The DPRK admitted at a summit meeting in 2002 that it abducted 13 Japanese from late 1970s to early 1980s.

Pyongyang said eight of them had died, a claim that Tokyo doubts, and let the remaining return to Japan for a visit while keeping back their family members. The five stayed in Japan after the visit.

Japan has been asking the DPRK to allow a reunion. The DPRK accuses Japan of reneging on promise to return the five people, but has reportedly agreed to Japan's demand provided they pick up their kin at Pyongyang.

Japan aims to bring about the abduction issue at the second round of six-party talks scheduled for Feb. 25 on the DPRK's nuclear development programs. But Pyongyang reportedly strongly opposed the move.

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