Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, meeting with relatives of North Korean abduction victims, said he remains committed to holding talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un without preconditions to resolve the issue.
"I will meet with Mr. Kim without preconditions and am determined to work toward an early resolution through sober analysis and by not missing any chances," Abe said during Monday's meeting.
Abe told the relatives that U.S. President Donald Trump raised the abduction issue during the Group of Seven summit in France last month.