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Japanese press US on N Korea

"We will strongly urge the United States not to stop designating North Korea as a terrorism-sponsoring state until it becomes a country of common sense as seen by the international community."

Shigeo Iizuka, whose sister was kidnapped by North Korea

A group of Japanese angry with North Korea's kidnappings of compatriots left Tokyo yesterday on a mission to pressure the US not to remove Pyongyang from its list of state sponsors of terrorism.

The five-member group, which includes siblings of kidnap victims and a lawmaker, said they would meet US Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill, the US pointman on nuclear talks with North Korea, and members of Congress in Washington.

The trip comes amid strong resentment in Japan over a lingering dispute about the extent of the North's abductions of Japanese nationals in the 1970s and 1980s to train spies.

The US appears willing to remove North Korea from the list in exchange for Pyongyang fulfilling a pledge to dismantle its nuclear programs under a six-nation deal reached in February.

"We are very much worried about the trend in the United States regarding the six-nation talks," Shigeo Iizuka, whose younger sister was kidnapped, told a news conference before the group's departure.

"We will strongly urge the United States not to stop designating North Korea as a terrorism-sponsoring state until it becomes a country of common sense as seen by the international community," said Iizuka, 69.

Teruaki Masumoto, 52, whose elder sister was also kidnapped, said: "I want to tell them if they ignore the will of the Japanese people it will harm their friendly sentiment toward the United States."

The group's visit is timed to coincide with Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda's first visit to Washington since he took office in September.

Fukuda is expected to urge US President George W. Bush not to take Pyongyang off the list when they meet on Friday, according to press reports.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-il admitted in 2002 to the abductions and has since returned five kidnap victims and their spouses and children.

Pyongyang says other abductees are dead, but Tokyo believes there are other Japanese who have been kidnapped but are being hidden, possibly because they know state secrets.

The designation as a state sponsor of terrorism prevents the impoverished and isolated state from qualifying for US economic aid and blocks loans from the World Bank and other multilateral organizations.

Japan, although a member of the six-nation roundtable, has vowed not to help North Korea with energy aid under the February deal until progress is made on the abduction issue.
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