"Japan has already had a variety of experiences in negotiations on the abduction issue, so we can share our experiences with the South Korean government and the victims' families," Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe said in Tokyo.
In Seoul, Choi Sung-yong, an activist for South Korean abductees, called on North Korea to admit its kidnappings of South Koreans and send them home.
"Listen Chairman Kim Jong-il: Our families' wish is to confirm the fate of abductees," Choi told reporters.
Besides the civilian abductees, South Korea also estimates 548 soldiers from the 1950-53 Korean War are still alive in North Korea. North Korea denies holding any POWs.
Millions of families remain separated following the division of the Korean Peninsula in 1945 and the 1950-53 Korean War, which ended in a cease-fire, not a peace treaty.
RSS