Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said Wednesday he had sent a message to North Korean leader Kim Jong Il in which he expressed his hopes that North Korea would negotiate with Japan in a sincere manner during their latest bilateral talks earlier this month.
Earlier in the day, speaking at his regular press conference, Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe denied that the premier had sent such a message during the bilateral talks in Beijing from Feb. 4 to 8.
''I sought to firmly convey to both (North Korean) negotiators and (their leader) Kim Jong Il that our aim to normalize relations after resolving various issues in accordance with the Japan-North Korea Pyongyang Declaration has not changed, and that they should negotiate in a sincere manner,'' Koizumi told reporters at his official residence.
Koizumi added that he has issued such a call every time the two countries hold negotiations, in an attempt to help resolve the abduction issue involving Japanese citizens and the issue of Pyongyang's nuclear development.
Referring to a meeting on Feb. 6 between Koichi Haraguchi, ambassador in charge of normalization talks with North Korea, and his North Korean counterpart Song Il Ho, Abe said Haraguchi appeared to have referred to Koizumi, ''but this does not particularly have the meaning of a message from the prime minister to Kim.''
The Pyongyang Declaration calls for settling the countries' past issues and resolving pending ones, as well as striving to realize diplomatic normalization at an early date.
In their meeting under a three-track format that Japan and North Korea installed for their latest round of talks, Haraguchi and Song failed to agree on an economic cooperation formula to make up for Japan's 1910-1945 colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula.
The countries made little headway on problems preventing their diplomatic normalization but agreed to continue talking under the format of separately addressing normalization, abduction and security issues in parallel.
The Asahi Shimbun, citing unnamed sources, reported Wednesday that Haraguchi orally delivered a message from Koizumi during the talks referring to the declaration and calling for efforts to resolve the issues that are conditions for normalizing ties.

Kyodo News

how long has the kidnapping case been going? it seems like this issue have been going unresolved. what are the japanese plans to do if NK won't give them up?

Like he said....isn't this regular practice?

The Japanese will forever bring this topic up. Even after the two koreas are reunified.

"Where are the Japanese nationals your agents kidnapped?"
"Where are the Japanese nationals your agents kidnapped?"
"Where are the Japanese nationals your agents kidnapped?"
"Where are the Japanese nationals your agents kidnapped?"
"Where are the Japanese nationals your agents kidnapped?"
"Where are the Japanese nationals your agents kidnapped?"
"Where are the Japanese nationals your agents kidnapped?"
"Where are the Japanese nationals your agents kidnapped?"
"Where are the Japanese nationals your agents kidnapped?"
"Where are the Japanese nationals your agents kidnapped?"
"Where are the Japanese nationals your agents kidnapped?"
"Where are the Japanese nationals your agents kidnapped?"
"Where are the Japanese nationals your agents kidnapped?"
"Where are the Japanese nationals your agents kidnapped?"
"Where are the Japanese nationals your agents kidnapped?"
"Where are the Japanese nationals your agents kidnapped?"
.

"oh who cares about the potential nukes."
"Where are the Japanese nationals your agents kidnapped?"

Quick Question, why is Japan worried so much that N. Korea has nukes? Does N. Korea plan on nuking Japan for fun?