Ishihara presses N. Korea to solve abductions, seeks Obama's support

TOKYO, Jan. 13 Kyodo -
Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara on Tuesday issued a statement, as chairman of a
governors' group, to North Korea demanding a prompt reinvestigation to its past
abductions of Japanese, and a separate letter to U.S. President-elect Barack
Obama calling for his support in winning the return of the victims.

But the outspoken Ishihara, known for his hawkish right-wing views, flatly
dismissed comparisons of the abductions with the Japanese military's wartime
forced sex slavery, slamming a reporter's question on the ''comfort women''
issue as being ''absurd'' and ''nonsense.''
Ishihara also made clear that he has no intention of visiting North Korea to
meet with its leader Kim Jong Il, telling a news conference, ''Even if I had
such an intention, such a visit would not bring any results...I am not at all
interested in going so far as to pay money to meet its (North Korea's)
dictator.''
Touching on the stalemate in the six-party talks on denuclearizing Pyongyang,
the Tokyo governor even said the easiest way to resolve all problems with North
Korea is for it to be integrated into China.
''This would be the easiest way, even for the United States,'' said Ishihara,
whose remarks often provoke controversy. ''I wouldn't imagine that China would
object to that, although there might be some opposition from South Korea.''
In the letter addressed to Obama, Ishihara and 45 other prefectural governors
expressed ''regret'' over last year's decision by President George W. Bush's
administration to take North Korea off its list of state sponsors of terrorism,
and called for the incoming president's support for Japan's approach to
Pyongyang.
Meanwhile, the governors stressed in the statement to North Korea that they
will ''strictly implement all possible sanctions and other measures,'' and
demanded that Pyongyang promptly fulfill its agreement to launch a
reinvestigation into the cases of Japanese nationals abducted by North Korea's
agents.
In addition to the immediate return of all Japanese abductees, the group also
demanded a full account of the facts and the extradition of suspects concerned
to Japan.
The abduction issue remains a major obstacle preventing Japan and North Korea
from establishing diplomatic ties, but negotiations to resolve the issue have
stalled in recent years.
Amid the lack of progress at the central government level, Ishihara, together
with Saitama Gov. Kiyoshi Ueda and Niigata Gov. Hirohiko Izumida, initiated the
''Assembled Governors for the Return of Victims of Abduction by North Korea''
to raise awareness among the public at the local level in hopes of stepping up
pressure.
As of Tuesday, governors of 46 of Japan's 47 prefectures -- excepting only
Iwate Prefecture -- are involved in the group.
At least a dozen Japanese abductees remain missing and Japan believes they are
in North Korea.
==Kyodo
2009-01-13 21:48:42