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July 05, 2025
 

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ABDUCTIONS

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield poses for a photo with Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi and the families of Japanese nationals abducted by North Korea in the 1970s and 1980s, on Thursday at the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 18, 2024
U.S. envoy to U.N. uses Japan visit to bolster U.N. Security Council
“The Security Council of 70 years ago does not reflect the realities of today,” Linda Thomas-Greenfield said.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and his sister, Kim Yo Jong
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 9, 2024
Kishida-Kim summit unlikely to happen soon, Japan envoy to U.S. says
Shigeo Yamada said recent statements from North Korea indicate they aren't ready to deal with "outstanding issues of concern" with Japan.
Takuya Yokota, the representative of the Association of Families of Victims Kidnapped by North Korea, gives a news conference at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan in Tokyo on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 5, 2024
Relatives of Japanese abducted by North Korea hope Kishida raises issue in U.S.
Takuya Yokota, who represents a group of family members of abductees, said the matter is a human rights and humanitarian issue.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Apr 3, 2024
Tokyo police confirm death of North Korea abduction suspect
Kim Kil Uk, was on the international wanted list for the June 1980 abduction of Tadaaki Hara.
Kim Jong Un and his daughter Kim Ju Ae attend the opening ceremony of the Gangdong Greenhouse in North Korea in this picture released on March 16.
JAPAN / Politics / EXPLAINER
Mar 27, 2024
North Korea reaches for familiar playbook in talks with Japan
Pyongyang blowing hot and cold on a potential leaders summit is meant to gain the upper hand in negotiations to realize such a meeting.
Kim Yo Jong, who serves as a top adviser to her brother, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, said Tuesday that Pyongyang had ruled out holding a leaders' summit with Japan.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 26, 2024
North Korea rules out summit with Japan and rejects more talks
The sister of leader Kim Jong Un said that a meeting was not of interest to the North, alluding to Tokyo's unyielding stance on the abductions issue.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's powerful sister said Monday that Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has requested a summit with her brother, hinting that any meeting was unlikely without a policy shift by Tokyo.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 25, 2024
Japan reaching out to North Korea for Kim-Kishida summit
The sister of leader Kim Jong Un said any summit would hinge on whether Japan was willing to make a "political decision" — likely on the abductee issue.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Feb 26, 2024
Families of North Korea abductees give Japan breathing room for summit
The group won't oppose Tokyo's lifting of sanctions on Pyongyang if all abductees are returned while their parents' generation is still alive.
Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, said on Thursday that a visit by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to Pyongyang could materialize, but only if Tokyo met several caveats.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 16, 2024
North Korea-Japan summit push gains steam after remarks by Kim’s sister
A visit by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to Pyongyang could materialize, but only if Tokyo met several caveats, Kim Yo Jong said.
Kazuhiro Araki, head of the Investigation Commission on Missing Japanese Probably Related to North Korea (COMJAN), said that the issue of abductions would not be resolved unless the government put the unrecognized abductees on its official list and negotiated with North Korea.
JAPAN
Dec 25, 2023
Families seek reunion with kin possibly abducted to North Korea
Their advanced age and a lack of information about the missing cause them increasing frustrations.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jun 10, 2023
Kishida hopes for change in North Korea's stance toward dialogue
Kishida has recently reiterated his determination to resume talks with North Korea to resolve Pyongyang's abductions of Japanese citizens decades ago.
JAPAN
Jun 5, 2023
For Sakie Yokota, one of two living North Korea abductee parents, resolving issue remains priority
Yokota, 87, marked the third anniversary of her husband's death with an expression of concern over resolving the issue of people kidnapped by the reclusive regime.
JAPAN / Politics
May 30, 2023
Kishida eyes talks with Kim to resolve North Korea abduction issue
North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Pak Sang Gil has said that there is no reason for North Korea and Japan not to meet if Japan seeks a way of improving relations.
JAPAN
May 1, 2023
Group supporting abductee Megumi Yokota's family turns 20
Photos of Megumi are exhibited around Japan and abroad to call attention to the parents' persistent wish to rescue their daughter.
JAPAN
Oct 17, 2022
Hitomi Soga vows to continue speaking out on abductions by North Korea
'I want to communicate my agony, loneliness and mortification as much as possible,' said Soga, who was abducted in 1978.
JAPAN / FOCUS
Oct 14, 2022
Time running out for families of Japanese abducted by North Korea
There is concern that Pyongyang will continue to stall on the issue, and some family members have suggested the Japanese government needs to rethink its approach.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 17, 2022
Victim laments 'largely failed' attempts to resolve North Korean abduction issue
'If reuniting victims with their parents is the most important solution to the abduction issue, that has largely failed,' Kaoru Hasuike, 64, said.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Sep 17, 2022
No progress in Japan's investigation into North Korean abduction suspects
National Public Safety Commission Chairman Koichi Tani has admitted that police actions are 'unfortunately not producing effective results.'
Japan Times
JAPAN / FOCUS
Apr 14, 2021
Could North Korea rain missiles on Suga and Biden's parade?
Pyongyang could conduct a missile test or unveil a new weapon as it marks a key anniversary and seeks to force itself back to the top of the U.S.-Japan agenda.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Jun 11, 2020
The North Korean abduction issue in Japan: When will the waiting end?
The Japanese government officially claims 17 Japanese nationals were abducted, but adds that there could be more than 800 others.
A prophesied disaster (likely) won’t strike Japan this weekend
A viral manga prediction of a July 5 disaster has gripped Japan with anxiety and triggered an economic impact, but experts warn that while such dates are unreliable, the threat of a massive earthquake remains real. 
Magnitude 5.5 earthquake jars Tokara Islands amid flurry of seismic activity
A strong quake struck off the Tokara Islands on Thursday afternoon, with the island chain having recorded around 1,000 earthquakes since a burst of seismic activity first began on June 21.
Japan to require flight passengers to keep power banks within sight
The transport ministry has announced new regulations requiring flight passengers to keep power banks within sight to mitigate fire risks while on board planes.
Ghibli’s Isao Takahata exhibit shows how beloved anime is made
“The man who planted Japanese animation” exhibition includes a variety of sketches, drawings and animation cels from Isao Takahata films such as color design for characters by Michiyo Yasuda from "Grave of the Fireflies."
Residents of Tokara Islands begin evacuation as seismic swarm continues
Details about evacuations from Akuseki Island, located in the Tokara island chain in Kagoshima Prefecture, is seen written on a whiteboard in the city of Kagoshima on Thursday.
Ghibli’s Isao Takahata exhibit shows how beloved anime is made
“The man who planted Japanese animation” exhibition includes a variety of sketches, drawings and animation cels from Isao Takahata films such as color design for characters by Michiyo Yasuda from "Grave of the Fireflies."
Flag football facing challenges and opportunities ahead
Japan’s women’s flag football team at the 2025 International Bowl in Los Angeles in June. The sport is enjoying continued growth in the country.
From Hokusai’s Great Wave, shinkansen to One Piece: a cultural treasure box for Lego Japan
Michael Ebbesen, general manager of Lego Japan, says Lego bricks based on Japanese culture have a rich global appeal and are sellable around the world.
With farmed fish, RelationFish swims against the tide in fine dining
Chef Hideaki Matsuo (middle) and the staff of Oseto Suisan Fisheries prepare to check on their sustainably farmed fish.
As Southeast Asia heats up, a Japanese cooling giant sees a major opportunity
An employee of Daikin Cambodia explains the use of different tools during an air conditioner installation training session in Phnom Penh. Daikin is one of Japan’s oldest air conditioning companies, but as Japan’s population falls, the firm is keying in on overseas growth.

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