OSAKA -- North Korea may feel that the abduction issue has been resolved and that Japan should now proceed with normalization talks, but for relatives of the Japanese abductees and their supporters, the five survivors and the eight reported dead by Pyongyang represent just the tip of the iceberg.
Both groups say they will press the Japanese government to find out what happened not only to the eight reported dead, but also to other Japanese who vanished under mysterious circumstances and may also have been taken to North Korea.
In a statement released Wednesday night following the conclusion of normalization talks between Japan and North Korea in Kuala Lumpur, the support groups and families praised Foreign Ministry negotiators for emphasizing to North Korea the importance of the abduction issue. The ministry had long been criticized by the relatives as being indifferent over the issue.