JCP Shii on Japan-North Korea summit talks

Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and Chairman Kim Jong-Il of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea National Defense Commission held talks for about two and half hours in Pyongyang on September 17.

In the first Japan-North Korea summit, Kim provided Koizumi with information about eleven Japanese nationals who were alleged to have been abducted by Korea. Kim expressed regret about the fact and offered apology to Japan.

Koizumi and Kim agreed to resume talks for the normalization of Japan-North Korea relations in October.

Japanese Communist Party Executive Committee Chair Shii Kazuo on September 17 published the following statement on the summit talks between Japanese Prime Minister Koizumi Jun'ichiro and North Korean leader Kim Jong Il.

1. The Japanese and North Korean leaders agreed to resume negotiations on normalizing diplomatic relations by publishing the "Japan-North Korea Pyongyang Declaration" concerning the settlement of the "colonial rule in the past" and measures so that "the outstanding issues of concern related to the lives and security of Japanese nationals" would never happen in the future. The JCP regards this as an important step forward.

The JCP earnestly calls for the pending issues between Japan and North Korea to be settled reasonably in negotiations on normalizing Japan-North Korea relations replacing hostility with cooperation.

2. In the summit talks, there was a revelation that North Korea abducted Japanese nationals. The question cannot be settled by simply acknowledging the fact, though it is the first step toward revealing the truth.

The JCP protests against the serious crime of abduction, an unpardonable act.

The JCP also demands that the North Korean government reveal the whole truth: whether the facts made public today are all of the abductions in which North Korea is involved; who is responsible for the criminal abductions; and how the victims were treated. It stands to reason that those responsible should be strictly punished and offer apology and compensation for the victimization.

I want to express my sincere condolences to the families of those who are deceased and unable to come home to their families. (end)