Letter to the Prime Minister from Mr Eric
Illsley MP and Mr Greg Pope MP
RE: FAMILIES
OF JAPANESE
ABDUCTEES
During a recent visit of the Foreign Affairs
Committee to Japan, a meeting was arranged between ourselves and
the relatives of Japanese nationals who have been kidnapped and
taken to North Korea. You will be aware that over the last thirty
years 17 individuals have been abducted in this way.
The relatives of the victims have formed support
groups and continue to campaign for the return of their family
members. They have received widespread publicity and although
many years have passed since the last abduction, this remains
a very high profile issue in Japan. Indeed, our meeting was reported
on Japanese national television. It has also generated attention
in the Japanese national press and the Japanese language press
overseas.
We understand that the relatives wished to meet
us in order to raise awareness of the abductions. Some of the
incidents have been acknowledged by North Korea and the fate of
the victims made known but sadly, information is not available
on the plight of many abductees leaving relatives without knowledge
as to whether their loved ones are even living or dead.
It must be said that we were greatly struck
by the dignity and determination shown by these families in the
face of their loss and ongoing distress. As a consequence, we
undertook to write to you and our ambassador in North Korea on
our return to inform you of our meeting and to ask that HM Government
bear in mind the plight of the abductees during our contacts with
North Korea. In particular, the families hope that the current
talks with North Korea on nuclear issues will not be resolved
without some concession on information regarding the remaining
abductees.
I enclose herewith some information on the 17
abductees of whom only 5 have been returned to Japan to date.[14]
June 2008
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