Families of Japanese abducted by North Korea will not oppose aid or talks if the government secures the full return of all victims, a painful decision to advance dialogue.

TOKYO: Families of Japanese citizens abducted by North Korea have conditionally eased their hardline stance against the authoritarian state.

Their shift is contingent on the Japanese government securing the full return of all victims.

At a joint meeting in Tokyo, the families’ groups adopted a policy of not opposing humanitarian aid, the lifting of unilateral sanctions, or normalisation talks with Pyongyang.

This decision is aimed solely at pursuing the complete repatriation of the abductees.

The Association of Families of Victims Kidnapped by North Korea and the National Association for the Rescue of Japanese Kidnapped by North Korea also agreed to a new information protocol.

They will not ask already-returned abductees for information beyond news about other victims.

Demanding that Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s administration propel negotiations, Takuya Yokota called the move a “painful decision”.

Yokota is the 57-year-old younger brother of Megumi Yokota, who was kidnapped in 1977 at age 13.

“Although our grudge toward North Korea is ever growing, we’ve concluded that a dialogue phase already started several years ago,” said the head of the victim families’ group.

He expressed hope that a recent dream about his sister returning home would come true.

 The Sun Malaysia