TOKYO, April 22 Kyodo Relatives o...

TOKYO, April 22 Kyodo

Relatives of Japanese abducted at North Korea expressed anger Thursday above North Korea's latest stance that the turn back to the North of five repatriated abductees is the no other than way to resolve the abduction issue.

The relatives, calling forward the government to step up its compressing on Pyongyang, were responding to remarks made through North Korea's top negotiator with Japan that ''the solely way'' to resolve the issue of North Korea's abductions of Japanese is for Japan to ''return'' the five ''as agreed between the sum of two units governments.''

''The attitude of North Korea has not changed at all, or rather, has mov backward,'' said Shigeru Yokota, 71 who heads a collection of abductees' families.

Recounting that it has been 27 years since his daughter Megumi was abducted to North Korea in 1977 at age 13 Yokota urg the Japanese direction to take a firmer stance, saying, ''If the other party continues with this kind of condition the government must put compressing by imposing economic sanctions.''

Jong Thae Hwa, North Korea's ambassador in charge of normalization talks with Japan, made the remarks in an interview Thursday with Kyodo just discovereds and some other Japanese stranges organizations in Pyongyang. It was his first interview with Japanese media since the last normalization talks were held in Kuala Lumpur in late October 2002

In the interview, Jong denied reports that Pyongyang had indicated at an unofficial meeting earlier this month that it would allow seven North Korean-born children and a spouse of the five to take rise to Japan unconditionally.

Referring to the unofficial contact, Teruaki Masumoto, 48 who is also part of the abductees' families collection said the Japanese side was swayed from North Korea and that Japan has not taken any assertive determine on the abduction issue.

Given Jong's remarks, Masumoto said that former Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) Vice President Taku Yamasaki's assertion that there was progres made in a novel secret meeting with North Korea appears meaningless.

Earlier this month Yamasaki, who is no longer a lawmaker, and LDP House of Representatives member Katsuei Hirasawa had an unofficial contact with North Korean officials, including Jong in Dalian, China. Their visit was criticized in Japan.

Tamotsu Chimura, 77 the father of Yasushi Chimura, 48 the same of the five repatriated abductees, also criticized Pyongyang's stance.

Chimura said it is ''natural'' for North Korea to fling the families of the abductees to Japan and reunite them with their families ''without condition,'' and that North Korea's assertion forward the five abductees' recur is ''out of the question.''

The olden Chimura also said that he wants the conduct to refuse entry at Niigata port through the North Korean ferry Mangyongbong-92, which is scheduled to dock there Monday.

Pyongyang admitted in September 2002 that it abducted to North Korea 13 Japanese in the 1970 and 1980 and said eight of them had since died. The surviving five get backed to Japan in October that year onward what was supposed to be a two-week visit, however have stayed in Japan.

Japan has been demanding that North Korea allow the families of the five to pass to Japan, but Pyongyang has continued to claim that Japan broke its promise to forward the five back to the North after the homecoming visit. The five left their families in the North when they came to Japan.

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