Japan media doubts N Korea on abductees

There is great concern over the fate of missing Japanese citizens

Japanese newspapers reflect nationwide suspicion about evidence provided by North Korea on the fate of Japanese citizens abducted by Pyongyang in the 1970s and 1980s.

A photograph and alleged ashes of one missing woman, Megumi Yokota - brought back by a Japanese delegation after visiting the North - aroused a particularly emotional response.

"It must have been heartrending for the parents of Megumi Yokota to listen to the reports of the Japanese government delegation which returned from Pyongyang," says the lead editorial in national daily Asahi Shimbun.

The photograph of Ms Yokota - kidnapped when she was 13 years old - was splashed across the front pages of many of Japan's leading dailies on Wednesday.

Her mother Sakie Yokota described the photograph as "the saddest of all", a disappointment reflected in press commentaries together with a deep distrust of the new information provided by North Korea on the abductees.

"The abductees' families will never be satisfied with this," says a commentary in the largest-circulation Yomiuri Shimbun.

Sankei Shimbun's lead editorial takes a similar line. "It cannot be said that Pyongyang sufficiently fulfilled all the necessary conditions to fully disclose the truth behind the abduction incidents."

North Korea shows no signs of regret, given that abduction is a state crime Yomiuri Shimbun

According to the metropolitan daily Tokyo Shimbun, Japan must not allow the abduction investigation to end here.

"Fait accompli not acceptable", is the headline of its lead editorial.

Mainichi Shimbun believes that "the Japanese government must thoroughly verify the evidence and press for the clarification of suspicious points."

Step backwards

Rather than improving relations between the two countries, commentators argue, the latest developments have made Japan even more suspicious of its neighbour.

"There is increasing distrust towards Pyongyang," says Yomiuri Shimbun, complaining that North Korea "shows no signs of regret, given that abduction is a state crime."

The paper reflects the position of politicians from several Japanese parties, saying in an editorial that "sanctions should be considered".

The leading business daily Nihon Keizai Shimbun goes further, believing that the Japanese government should not hesitate to impose economic sanctions, and must pursue the truth about the abductions.

"That is probably the best way to compensate the families of the 10 abductees who are missing," it concludes.

On the same day that Ms Yokota's photograph hit the front pages, Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi discounted the possibility of cutting food aid for North Korea, declaring it a "separate issue".

BBC Monitoring, based in Caversham in southern England, selects and translates information from radio, television, press, news agencies and the Internet from 150 countries in more than 70 languages.