March 9 (UPI) -- Families of Japanese nationals who were abducted to North Korea are welcoming news of a planned summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korea's Kim Jong Un, according to a Japanese press report.
Jiji Press reported Friday the families of the abductees said the latest developments are a sign of progress.
"This is a groundbreaking event," the families said. "We hope spring will come."
Sakie Yokota, mother of abductee Megumi Yokota, said, "We have finally come to this. We wish for the release" of the abductees.
Related
"In addition to the issue of nuclear weapons and missiles, there is the important issue of abductions. I would like the world to take the right direction," she added.
Megumi Yokota was only 13 when she was kidnapped from her seaside village in Japan in 1977. Her status in North Korea has not been confirmed, and North Korea has claimed there are no Japanese abductees remaining, following the release of five victims in 2002.
Fumiyo Saito, 72, the older sister of abductee Kaoru Matsuki, said she hoped "Spring will come," and expressed hope for the May summit between Trump and Kim.
"We do not know much, since this development is coming from the political world," Saito said. "We can only watch and wait."
Shigeo Iizuka, head of the group representing abductees' families, credited the North Korean leader for making the right decision.
"If Chairman Kim did not speak out, this problem would not have been addressed," Iizuka said. "We see it as a golden opportunity."
The news of a U.S.-North Korea summit has sent ripples through Tokyo.
Japanese Prime Minister attributed the latest outcomes to continued pressure on the North by Japan, South Korea and the United States.
But Abe may have been alarmed by the pace at which détente is moving, South Korean television network SBS reported.
Abe and Trump spoke by phone immediately after the announcement, and the Japanese leader is to meet with Trump in April in Washington, according to the report.
In Washington on Friday, Vice President Mike Pence credited Trump's North Korea strategy.
"North Korea's desire to meet to discuss denuclearization -- while suspending all ballistic missile and nuclear testing -- is evidence that President Trump's strategy to isolate the Kim regime is working," Pence said. "The North Koreans are coming to the table despite the United States making zero concessions and, in close coordination with our allies, we have consistently increased the pressure on the Kim regime."
