N. Korean Red Cross officials criticize Japan on departure

Japan Policy & Politics, Nov 11, 2002

TOKYO, Nov. 9 Kyodo

Two North Korean Red Cross officials who accompanied five Japanese abductees on a homecoming visit said before leaving Japan on Saturday that they were completely unable to contact the five in their hometowns in Fukui and Niigata prefectures.

Speaking to reporters from Kyodo News and other news organizations before their departure, the two North Koreans voiced dissatisfaction that the Japanese government had obstructed their ''mission'' to look after the five during their first visit home after being abducted by Pyongyang 24 years ago.

''As we can't contact the five, it is impossible to believe media reports that they are changing their minds (about a permanent return),'' Ri Ho Rim, deputy general secretary of North Korea's Red Cross Society, said.

Ri said he made a last request to the Japanese government as well as the Japanese Red Cross before departure to allow him to get in touch with the five, but was flatly refused.

Ri denounced the Japanese government, saying, ''Tokyo is responsible for overturning an agreement between the two countries and inhumanely separating the five from their children.''

''We have our obligation to tell the children and relatives of the five about the present situation after returning to (North Korea),'' Ri said.

The five returnees -- Yasushi and Fukie Chimura, both 47 and from Fukui Prefecture, Kaoru Hasuike, 45, and his wife Yukiko, 46, and Hitomi Soga, 43, from Niigata Prefecture -- have all expressed their desire to meet their children left in the North in Japan, after Tokyo announced the five would stay longer at the request of their relatives in the hometowns.

Ri was initially planning to stay in Japan a week or two weeks, he said, adding, ''The five also said staying a week is enough and a 10-day stay is the longest.''

Ri and Pak Yong Nam have been in Tokyo hotels after arriving in Japan on Oct. 15 with the five abductees.

Asked whether they contacted Pyongyang during their stay in Tokyo, Ri said, ''Even though there was no particular order from Pyongyang, we informed them about the situation by sending faxes.''

''But there's no longer the need for us to stay here because we can't even say 'hello' to the five,'' Ri said.

On the possibility of the children coming to Japan, Ri said, ''We don't think we'll be able to convince them under this kind of circumstance.''

''Our government will provide economic assistance and I don't think there is any problem in material terms but I worry about psychological aspects,'' Ri said. ''They are likely to be insecure because the Japanese government did not return their parents.''

Ri said he is not aware whether the children know that their parents are now in Japan.

Asked about Pyongyang's future arrangements with the five, Ri said, ''Basically it is up to what Japan is going to do. It is the five's decision to return to Pyongyang or to stay in Japan, but we are not able to find out what they think in the first place.''