Tokyo, Feb 16 (UNI) Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi on Friday called "completely unacceptable" Pyongyang's claim that the issue of abducted Japanese nationals allegedly held in North Korea had already been solved, adding that Tokyo was committed to addressing the problem in a proper manner.
On Thursday, Kim Yo Jong, sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, said that if Tokyo abandoned the idea of putting forward "the already settled abduction issue" as a condition for mending bilateral relations, there would be no reason for the two nations not to become close and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's visit to North Korea might take place.
"I would like to refrain from commenting on every statement by North Korea, but the claim that the issue of Japanese nationals held in North Korea has been resolved is completely unacceptable. There is no change in our government's course, which aims to address complex problems such as the issues of Japanese nationals held in North Korea, the missile program and the nuclear program," Hayashi told a press conference.