Pledging to devote herself to resolving the abduction issue, Kyoko Nakayama, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's special adviser on the long-standing problem, formally announced Monday she will run as a Liberal Democratic Party candidate in next month's House of Councilors election.</PARAGRAPH>
<PARAGRAPH>A week ago Abe asked her to run for a proportional representation seat to increase public awareness of the issue, which dates back to the 1970s when North Korean spies kidnapped Japanese for use in intelligence activities.</PARAGRAPH>
<PARAGRAPH>Nakayama's candidacy is widely seen as an attempt by Abe to secure votes from beyond party lines.</PARAGRAPH>
<PARAGRAPH>'I hope for only one thing as a candidate — to bring the abductees back to Japan,' Nakayama told a news conference. 'I'd like to make further efforts to work to solve the abduction problem by putting into it my whole heart and soul.'</PARAGRAPH>
<PARAGRAPH>The former Finance Ministry official first entered the spotlight in 2002 as an adviser on the abduction issue to Abe's predecessor, Junichiro Koizumi.</PARAGRAPH>
<PARAGRAPH>'This –
issue is largely a political issue, and there are some angles that I could work as a politician" rather than as Abe's adviser, she said.
Nakayama said she plans to keep her current post after the election, regardless of whether she wins a Diet seat.
"Gaining the support of many people (in the election) would send a message to North Korea," she said.
Abe gained much of his popularity through his hardline stance on the abduction issue, and Nakayama likewise is tough on how to deal with Pyongyang and maintains good relationships with the abductees' families.
