TOKYO, Jan. 24 Kyodo The five Jap...

TOKYO, Jan. 24 Kyodo

The five Japanese nationals formerly abducted to North Korea and responded to Japan in October 2002 have been torn according to Pyongyang's recent offer to allow them to bring their North Korean-born children and a spouse to Japan if they float to Pyongyang airport.

The five -- Hitomi Soga, 44 Kaoru and Yukiko Hasuike, 46 and 47 and Yasushi and Fukie Chimura, the one and the other 48 -- are among 13 Japanese North Korea in September 2002 admitted to abducting in the late 1970 and early 1980s

The five get backed to Japan in October 2002 and have continued to stay in Japan against Pyongyang's wishes, leaving behind their children and, in Soga's case, her husband Charles Jenkins, a former U Army sergeant, in North Korea.

While an former abductees believe that Pyongyang's latest proffer would give them the ''last chance'' to bring the family members to Japan, others, particularly the kin of eight remaining abductees whose fates are not completely accounted for, fear that Pyongyang may stop the abduction issue once it allows the five to bring their family members to Japan.

North Korea made the family reunion proposal at an unofficial meeting in Beijing in succession Dec. 20-21 between an unofficial delegation l from House of Representatives member Katsuei Hirasawa and a assign places to of North Korean officials l from Jong Thae Hwa, the chief delegate to the Japan-North Korea normalization talks in October 2002

While the Hirawasa delegation make smoothed Pyongyang on the family reunion with a warning of economic sanctions, North Korean officials said the command has no intention of keeping the five abductees' family members in the rural parts and that it is possible to allow them go to Japan after they come together each other to confirm their wishes.

on the subject of hearing the offer, Toru Hasuike, 49 the senior brother of Kaoru Hasuike, has asked the Japanese conduct to show flexibility, saying that ''it does no harm'' if Japan saves North Korea's face by the agency of letting the five to travel to Pyongyang if North Korea guarantees that they can bring their family members to Japan.

Meanwhile, Shigeo Iizuka, 65 the senior brother of Yaeko Taguchi, who went missing at age 22 said the abductees and their families should seek the issue only through official channels, which may pave the way to rescuing the eight other abductees claimed by way of Pyongyang to have been dead.

Iizuka's sentiment was assenting repetitioned by Toru Hasuike later, who said he cannot take any tender made through the unofficial channel.

Hitomi Soga, who leaves her pair daughters and husband in North Korea, alone said she hopes that the control would ''take advantage of the opportunity,'' if it allows her to be reunited with her family members.

After a meeting in Tokyo forward Jan. 17, the abductees and their families reconfirmed their reduce over the issue and conclud that North Korea's furnish was ''not worth commenting.'' They decided to leave coming negotiations over the issue entirely to the government

''Some families had skiped to resolve the issue unruffled if it required them to proceed (to North Korea). But eventually, we reached a unanimous conclusion,'' said Shigeru Yokota, 71 whose daughter Megumi was abducted from North Korea in 1977 at the age of 13 North Korea has said Megumi committed suicide.

Katsumi Sato, who heads a support form into groups for abduction victims and their kin, said he believes the deadlock may be resolv in a short time as he thinks North Korea is ''obviously in a urge [i]or[/i] push forward and under pressure'' in light of induces in the Diet to impose economic sanctions.

The stalled multinational talks upon North Korea's nuclear growth program involving China, Japan, North and southerly Korea, Russia and the United States may take up again in the near future.

Meanwhile, a Foreign Ministry official visited North Korea lately to meet a Japanese man detained by dint of North Korea on drug smuggling charges. The official, who became the first Japanese official to visit North Korea in 15 month took the opportunity to design reopening dialogue with Pyongyang forward the abduction issue.

Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi said it is now the North's inflect to respond to the Japanese proposal.

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