Will North Korea Agree to Meet Japan on the Abductions Issue?

North Korea has yet to publicly respond to Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's proposal for a summit with Kim Jong Un, General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea.

The regime continues to insist that the abductions issue is already resolved and condemns Japan as its eternal enemy, while demanding postwar reparations.

According to North Korean media, a forum denouncing Japan's colonial rule over the Korean Peninsula was held in Pyongyang on November 12, attended by officials from historical research institutions.

Speakers are said to have stressed Japan's responsibility for economic reparations, saying, "the historical wounds inflicted by Japan, our eternal enemy, remain unhealed. We must extract a price a hundredfold, a thousandfold in return."

This also comes as Japan and the families of North Korean abductees mark 48 years since Megumi Yokota's abduction. The then-13-year-old was taken by North Korean agents on November 15, 1977.

Abductions Issue at a Standstill

The North Korean regime has traditionally demonstrated a keen interest in securing substantial economic compensation from Japan as postwar reparations.

Analysts suggest that when former General Secretary Kim Jong Il acknowledged the abductions and issued an apology in 2002, his primary goal was to secure substantial funds from Tokyo to rebuild North Korea's economy.

Sources familiar with North Korea say when the regime agreed in 2014 to re-examine abduction cases, there were signs that Pyongyang was preparing to resume trade with Japan.

However, the regime now insists that the matter has already been resolved. In March 2024, Kim Yo Jong, Vice Department Director of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party and sister of Kim Jong Un, stated that North Korea would "pay no attention to and reject any contact or negotiations with Japan."

As a result, the abduction issue appears to remain at a stalemate.

A Window for Negotiation

Among South Korean officials and experts, the general view is that Pyongyang is unlikely to engage in dialogue as long as the Japanese government continues to demand the immediate, collective return of all abductees.

However, one South Korean government official noted that Kim had hinted at a possible meeting with United States President Donald Trump.

He said, "The outcome of the US-North Korea summit will likely affect the Japanese abduction issue as well."