Japan urges ASEAN to include abduction issue in statement

MANILA (AP) - Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Aso urged Southeast Asian nations on Tuesday to include the past abductions of its citizens by North Korea in a public statement, saying Japan needed international support to resolve the issue, an official said.

But South Korea, which was meeting Tuesday with foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations along with Japan and China, said the abductions should not be mentioned, apparently in an attempt to avoid upsetting North Korea.

Earlier this month, North Korea shut down its sole operating nuclear reactor in exchange for aid and diplomatic concessions under an agreement reached in six-nation disarmament talks in February. North Korea has repeatedly lambasted Japan, a participant in the talks, for bringing up the abduction issue during the negotiations.

Japan's government has made resolution of the issue a high priority, and has refused to join other countries in providing aid to North Korea under the February agreement until it is settled.

In 2002, North Korea admitted it kidnapped 13 Japanese nationals in the 1970s and '80s and allowed five to go home, claiming the other eight were dead. North Korea has since insisted the issue was resolved.

Japan, however, believes some may still be alive and has demanded proof of their deaths.

In a meeting Tuesday morning, Aso urged Philippine Foreign Secretary Alberto Romulo to include the kidnapping issue in a chairman's statement to be issued at the end of the ASEAN talks with Japan, China and South Korea, Japanese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mitsuo Sakaba said. Romulo is chairman of the talks.

"We need international cooperation" to support our efforts to resolve the issue, Sakaba told reporters.

However, South Korea said in a position paper, seen by The Associated Press, that it was "unnecessary to elaborate specific issues such as the abduction issue" in the chairman's statement.

Sakaba said Japan is prepared to take a more active role in the six-nation negotiations, including participating in economic assistance for North Korea, if progress is made on the abduction issue.