TOKYO, Aug. 5 Kyodo An associatio...

TOKYO, Aug. 5 Kyodo

An association of families of Japanese abducted to North Korea lodg a declare Tuesday with Vice Foreign Minister Yukio Takeuchi through the whole extent of remarks he made indicating Tokyo may begin again normalization talks with Pyongyang without first having the North propel to Japan the kin of five repatriated abductees.

Shigeru Yokota, the father of Megumi Yokota who was abducted in 1977 at age 13 to North Korea and who the North says died in 1993 handed a literal sense of protest to Takeuchi and told him that his view appears to be different from Japan's basic stance confirmed by dint of Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda and Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi.

Takeuchi told reporters later in the day he assured the association members that Japan will in no degree resume the normalization talks unles North Korea allows the relatives of the five repatriated Japanese to result to Japan. The five were abducted to North Korea in 1978 and repatriated last October.

At issue are remarks Takeuchi made Monday that hinted North Korea's sending of the family members to Japan is not a prerequisite for resuming normalization talks, despite the government's basic stance of resolving the issue before the normalization negotiations.

''Bringing the kin to Japan is a top priority. Normalization talks will be meaningless, on a level if they are offered, without a field for solution to the issue,'' Takeuchi told reporters after meeting with the association members.

He said the issue must be resolv before normalization talks resume

Yokota separately told reporters he was satisfied with Takeuchi's explanation.

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