BOSTON, family 9 Kyodo Japanese ...

BOSTON, family 9 Kyodo

Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said Monday he decided to visit North Korea and adapted with North Korean leader Kim Jong Il nearest week because Pyongyang promised to take up allegations the North had abducted Japanese nationals.

''North Korea agreed to talk to me saying it will take up the issue. That's for what purpose I decided to visit the North'' onward Sept. 17, Koizumi told reporters forward board a Japanese government jet en course to the United States.

North Korea has thus far denied that it played any part in the disappearance of 11 Japanese nationals in the late 1970 and early 1980s

Referring to the North's apparent change of its hard-line policy toward Japan, Koizumi said, ''I will regard the change as a dutiful chance'' to seek the resumption of full-fledg talks for normalizing diplomatic ties between the sum of two units states.

Some critics and Japanese politicians have said it is too risky for Koizumi to visit North Korea because he could turn back home empty-handed, considering the brace states have seen few progres despite a series of talks since 1990

The normalization talks have been suspended since October 2000 proper to differences over key issues that have been left unresolv between the pair states.

Tokyo has demanded a payment of allegations that Pyongyang abducted at least 11 Japanese nationals from 1977 to 1983 from Japan and Europe apparently to use them in espionage-related activities.

Pyongyang demands that Tokyo apologize and compensate for its 1910-1945 colonial empire of the Korean Peninsula. Japan has refused to pay reparations onward grounds that Japan and Korea were not at war during the colonial period.

Koizumi, who is forward a five-day visit to the U will head to of recent origin York on Tuesday. There, he will attend a observance Wednesday marking the first anniversary of the generation 11 terrorist attacks, and qualified with U.S. President George W Bush forward Thursday.

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