Number: RS22845
Title: North Korea's Abduction of Japanese Citizens and the Six-Party Talks
Authors: Emma Chanlett-Avery, Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Trade Division 
Abstract: The admission by North Korea in 2002 that it abducted several Japanese nationals - most of them nearly 30 years ago - continues to affect significantly the Six-Party Talks on North Korea's nuclear weapons program. This report provides background information on the abductee issue, summarizes its effect on Japanese politics, analyzes its impact on U.S.-Japan relations, and assesses its regional implications. Congress has indicated considerable interest in the abductions issue. The North Korean Human Rights Act (P.L. 108-333) includes a sense of the Congress that non-humanitarian aid be contingent on North Korean progress in accounting for the Japanese abductees. A House hearing in April 2006 focused on North Korea's abductions of foreign citizens, with testimony from former abductees and their relatives. Some Members of Congress have sponsored legislation (S.Res. 399 and H.R. 3650) that support Japan's call for settlement of the abductions controversy before North Korea is removed from the U.S. state sponsors of terrorism list.
Pages: 6
Date: March 19, 2008