Prime Minister Shinzo Abe reiterated Sunday his hope to hold unconditional and candid talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

"By meeting Workers' Party of Korea Chairman Kim Jong Un without setting conditions, I want to talk with him frankly with an open mind," Abe said during a meeting in Tokyo with family members of Japanese nationals abducted by North Korea in the 1970s and 1980s.

Abe also pledged to resolve the long-standing issue while he is in power, adding U.S. President Donald Trump is scheduled to meet with the families during his four-day visit to Japan as a state guest from next Saturday.