A Japanese diplomat who last week met the four survivors out of the 14 Japanese nationals North Korea admits abducting in the 1970s and 1980s deflected criticism Monday over his failure to photograph or properly question them.
During a lunch break at the Sept. 17 summit meeting between Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, Kazuyoshi Umemoto met with the four to confirm their identities.
Umemoto, a minister at the Japanese Embassy in Britain, headed Japan's summit preparatory headquarters in Pyongyang.
Relatives of the survivors have criticized Umemoto for failing to take photos or obtain evidence from the survivors to verify their identities with family members back in Japan.