The Foreign Ministry said Tuesday it has started distributing an English-language brochure focusing on the abduction of Japanese nationals by North Korea.
The move represents an effort to generate greater support for Japan's position among the international community.
The front cover of the brochure, titled "Abductions of Japanese Citizens by North Korea," features pictures of 15 Japanese whom Japan claims were abducted by Pyongyang agents.
The ministry printed 10,000 copies of the brochure, which can be picked up at Japanese embassies overseas.
It also plans to circulate the document at international conferences.
The brochure provides details on the 10 abduction cases in which the 15 were allegedly involved.
It states that five of the 15 "were able to return home to Japan on Oct. 15, 2002, for the first time in 24 years, but because of the insufficient provision of information by the North Korean authorities, the fate of the remaining 10 is still unclear."
During a summit between Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and North Korean leader Kim Jong Il on Sept. 17, 2002, the North admitted it had abducted or lured 13 Japanese nationals to the country in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
