Kyodo
ULAN BATOR — A senior North Korean official in charge of Japanese affairs spoke in Mongolia Saturday with a Japanese professor believed to be serving as a de facto proxy for Hiroshi Nakai, a former state minister in charge of the abduction issue.
Sadaki Manabe, a Takushoku University professor involved in assisting those kidnapped and their families, was apparently sent to explain to Song Il Ho why Nakai was unable to make it to Mongolia to meet with him.
In addition to the abduction issue, the two apparently exchanged opinions on the temporary return of Japanese women who were convinced to migrate to North Korea with their Korean spouses starting in 1959, and the chances of securing the return of the Japanese who hijacked a Japan Airlines plane in 1970.
After the talks, Song stressed to reporters that he met with Manabe in an unofficial capacity and said the professor is neither a government representative nor a politician.
Nakai, chairman of the House of Representatives Budget Committee, wanted to visit Mongolia via Taiwan but was thwarted by objections from the opposition parties, which started protesting after getting wind of the planned talks with the North Korean official.
Manabe has accompanied Nakai to a secret meeting with Song before.
Meanwhile, Nakai flew to Taiwan as scheduled on Saturday and is expected to meet with Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou on Monday before returning to Japan later the same day.
Source:Kyodo
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