U.S. Lawmakers Urge Trump to Push for Return of Japanese Abductees

   Washington, April 25 (Jiji Press)--Seventeen U.S. Congress members from both the Republican and Democratic parties sent a letter to President Donald Trump urging him to "prioritize" the return of Japanese nationals abducted by North Korea decades ago, it was learned Friday.
   The lawmakers emphasized that the president has "the unique opportunity to once again bring the plight of these Japanese abductees to global attention and make meaningful progress in delivering justice for them and their families" as his second administration crafts and implements its North Korea policy. They urged Trump to work with Japan in engaging with the North Korean government and securing the return of the abductees.
   The letter mentioned Megumi Yokota, who was abducted in 1977 at the age of 13, noting that her mother, Sakie, 89, is the only parent of the remaining abductees who is still alive today.
   It also took up the address Trump made to the U.N. General Assembly in 2017, during his first administration, in which he raised the abduction issue, as well as his meetings with the families of Japanese abductees. The lawmakers said that Trump's success in realizing the return of the abductees would be "a historic foreign policy achievement."
   The letter, dated April 4, was also addressed to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

(2025/04/26-17:23)

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