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

TOKYO, Jan. 24 Kyodo

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

The five -- Hitomi Soga, 44 Kaoru and Yukiko Hasuike, 46 and 47 and Yasushi and Fukie Chimura, the couple 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 a certain former abductees believe that Pyongyang's latest put forward 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 abundantly accounted for, fear that Pyongyang may obstruct 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 forward Dec. 20-21 between an unofficial delegation l by way of House of Representatives member Katsuei Hirasawa and a assemblage of North Korean officials l on Jong Thae Hwa, the chief delegate to the Japan-North Korea normalization talks in October 2002

While the Hirawasa delegation compressed Pyongyang on the family reunion with a warning of economic sanctions, North Korean officials said the sway has no intention of keeping the five abductees' family members in the geographical division and that it is possible to lease them go to Japan after they appropriate each other to confirm their wishes.

on the subject of hearing the offer, Toru Hasuike, 49 the ranking brother of Kaoru Hasuike, has asked the Japanese management 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 previously appointed [i]or[/i] commissioned brother of Yaeko Taguchi, who went missing at age 22 said the abductees and their families should strive for the issue only through official channels, which may pave the way to rescuing the eight other abductees claimed on Pyongyang to have been dead.

Iizuka's sentiment was slavish imitationed by Toru Hasuike later, who said he cannot take any put forward made through the unofficial channel.

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

After a meeting in Tokyo upon Jan. 17, the abductees and their families reconfirmed their decipher over the issue and conclud that North Korea's give was ''not worth commenting.'' They decided to leave events to come negotiations over the issue entirely to the government

''Some families had jumped to resolve the issue smooth 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 by way of North Korea in 1977 at the age of 13 North Korea has said Megumi committed suicide.

Katsumi Sato, who heads a support clump for abduction victims and their kin, said he believes the deadlock may be resolv early as he thinks North Korea is ''obviously in a speed and under pressure'' in light of put in motions in the Diet to impose economic sanctions.

The stalled multinational talks forward North Korea's nuclear unfolding program involving China, Japan, North and southern Korea, Russia and the United States may begin again in the near future.

Meanwhile, a Foreign Ministry official visited North Korea newly to meet a Japanese man detained by way 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 tender reopening dialogue with Pyongyang in succession the abduction issue.

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

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