Resolve abductions issue

Such violations continue to take place in the reclusive country and the report’s content equates these rights transgressions to state crimes. It strictly holds North Korea’s leadership responsible for them.

The establishment of the commission was unanimously decided at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva in March. Three experts, including Chairman Michael Kirby, a former Australian High Court judge, are investigating North Korea’s alleged “systematic, widespread and grave violations of human rights”.

In August, the commission members visited South Korea and Japan to interview families of abductees, North Korean defectors and officials of the South Korean and Japanese governments. In public hearings in Tokyo, these families, including parents of Megumi Yokota, who was abducted 36 years ago when she was 13 years old, provided testimony.

The testimonies by Yokota’s parents and others will no doubt help deepen the awareness of people around the world of the enormity of North Korea’s acts.

To live up to expectations of those who provided testimonies, the chairman stressed that the international community needs to take action to resolve the abduction issue and that North Korea needs to provide a full explanation.

The commission will disclose its final report, with recommendations for possible actions against Pyongyang, in March. North Korea refused the commission’s request to visit, and rejected any cooperation. It also responded to the testimonies by families of abductees and others with malicious slander. Pyongyang cannot refute the facts pointed out, and probably finds itself with no recourse but to repeat illogical assertions.

Eleven years have passed since North Korean leader Kim Jong-il admitted North Korean agents had abducted Japanese citizens, and apologised when he met then prime minister Junichiro Koizumi. Due to North Korea’s uncooperative attitude, even the safety of 12 out of 17 people officially recognised by the Japanese government as having been abducted has yet to be confirmed.

Japan’s position is that a comprehensive resolution of various pending matters, such as the abductions, as well as Pyongyang’s nuclear activities and missile development programme, is a precondition for normalising diplomatic relations.

The international community must step up pressure on North Korea to take action toward resolving the abduction and nuclear issues. We urge the Japanese government to resume negotiations with Pyongyang and do its utmost to resolve the abduction issue while cooperating with the commission.