BEIJING (Kyodo) Japan told North Korea that negotiations will be tough without progress on the abduction issue, Japan's ambassador for normalization talks with North Korea said Wednesday after the end of their first talks on the subject in three years.
At a news conference, Koichi Haraguchi regretted the lack of progress but said both sides agreed the three-track talks are the "only channel" for communication and should be maintained.
"We told North Korea that without progress on the abduction issue, the situation will be tough," Haraguchi said. "We are not in a situation to agree on the schedule for another round of talks, but (North Korea) understands the significance of maintaining the (communications) channel."