February 18, 2026 | 11:56 am
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi reaffirmed her willingness to meet directly with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to resolve the issue of the abductions of Japanese citizens in the 1970s and 1980s. This affirmation was made during a meeting with families of the abductees at her official residence on Monday, February 16.
According to The Japan Times, Takaichi said, "I want to achieve a breakthrough and produce concrete results." She made this statement in front of a group of victims' families and their support organizations.
As reported by NK News, Takaichi also reiterated her commitment, promising to "exhaust every possible means" before time runs out for the victims' elderly parents.
In a post on social media after the meeting, Takaichi stated, "So that both Japan and North Korea may be able to envision a future in which they together enjoy peace and prosperity, I am prepared to face Chairman Kim Jong Un directly at the leaders’ level."
The Victims' Families
The meeting took place a day after the one-year anniversary of the death of Akihiro Arimoto, the father of abductee Keiko Arimoto. This makes 90-year-old Sakie Yokota the sole surviving parent of one of the victims. Nearly five decades ago, her daughter, Megumi Yokota, was abducted to North Korea.
Takuya Yokota, Sakie's son and chairman of the Association of Families of Victims Kidnapped by North Korea, emphasized the urgency of resolving the case. Referring to the Liberal Democratic Party's landslide victory in the February 8th general election, he stated, "From North Korea’s perspective, the result of the House of Representatives election has produced a solid and trustworthy administration, one that requires no anxiety or concern whatsoever as a negotiating counterpart."
The day before meeting with Takaichi, the families' association stated that it would not oppose humanitarian aid, the lifting of unilateral sanctions, or negotiations on the normalization of diplomatic relations if all victims were repatriated, as long as at least one parent remained alive. However, if Pyongyang does not repatriate the victims while Sakie Yokota is still alive, they will make strong demands and demand strengthened unilateral sanctions.
Coordination with the US
Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said at a press conference that the government will cooperate closely with the United States (US) on this issue. The victims' families have also requested that the abduction issue be discussed at the Japan-United States summit scheduled for next month.
Takaichi is not the first prime minister to seek a meeting with a North Korean leader. To date, only two meetings between then-Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and North Korean leader Kim Jong Il in the early 2000s have taken place. After the first meeting, North Korea repatriated five of the 17 victims recognized by the Japanese government. Eight others were claimed to have died in 2002, while the whereabouts of the rest remain unconfirmed.
Pyongyang, meanwhile, asserts that the abduction issue has been "resolved" and will not resume negotiations with Tokyo. However, the Japanese government has stated that it will continue to open various channels of communication to seek a resolution.
Read: North Korea Builds Homes for Kin of Troops Killed in Ukraine
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