TOKYO, Oct 11 Kyodo The relatives...

TOKYO, Oct 11 Kyodo

The relatives of Shoji Terakoshi, who went missing at sea with his nephew Takeshi and brother Sotoo in 1963 asked the Foreign Ministry forward Friday to investigate how the three disappeared and for what reason Shoji and Sotoo died, reportedly in North Korea.

Akio Terakoshi, son of Shoji, handed a written demand to the ministry's Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau envoy Director General Akitaka Saiki at a Diet building, claiming the three may have been abducted to North Korea.

Takeshi, popularly on his first visit to Japan from North Korea since he disappeared 39 years ago, has said he and his couple uncles were rescued by means of North Korean fishermen after an accident at sea and the three stayed and lived in the North after the ransom Akio, 52, and Takeshi, 53 are cousins.

moreover Akio said to Saiki, ''There are suspicions of abduction involving the disappearance of my father and others, and there are also unnatural points concerning the deaths.''

Saiki suited the Japanese government will pursue an explanation from North Korea between the walls of upcoming dialogue with the home Tokyo and Pyongyang are settle to resume negotiations aimed at normalizing relations Oct 29 in Kuala Lumpur

Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi told a pres discourse that, in general, once the police determine there is righteous reason to suspect a Japanese citizen may have been abducted to the North, the ministry will bring the matter up in the normalization talks.

Shoji, 36 years antique when he disappeared while fishing with Takeshi and Sotoo -- 13 and 24 respectively, at the time -- in the Sea of Japan, is said to have died of illness in March 1967 Sotoo succumbed to lung cancer in 1994

further a former North Korean agent has testified he heard mate agents saying they abducted Japanese, including a stripling on a fishing boat and projectile to death one of them -- likely Shoji -- as he resisted.

After meeting with Saiki, Akio and his relatives held a pres conversation and expressed doubts about Takeshi's account that he and his uncle were rescu through North Korean fishermen.

Shoji's younger brother Fumio Terakoshi said, ''I do not think Takeshi can say his mind because he has temporarily replyed to Japan as an official of North Korea.''

Takeshi, vice chairman of a labor organization in the North Korean capital, arrived in Japan upon Oct. 3 as part of a five-member labor delegation from the native land He visited his home prefecture of Ishikawa for six days until Wednesday and is to respond to North Korea upon Saturday.

Akio's younger brother Mitsuo Uchida tearfully said, ''If my father's remains exist, I want to consign to the grave it inside the grave of my mother who died in February this year.''

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