North Korea has promised to reopen an investigation into Japanese abductees. Do you believe there are still Japanese abductees alive in North Korea?

I don't know, but I'd like to believe there are some still alive.

Hopefully, North Korea is serious about the investigations (or serious about loosening sanctions, either one really), and these people, or perhaps their children, can come home.

A part of me thinks there are still abductees. Another part of me doesn't. But I have no proof either way so I selected "I don't know".

I think if there are still abductees some may not want to be known about.

But if we don't know by now, we are never going to. I wish Japan would figure that out. Best to move on. Much more important issues on the table.

If they are alive, I think the question may also be how many of them would like to return to Japan... I imagine brainwashing can be pretty effective and they may have built a life for themselves in North Korea even if it is quite miserable by our standards.

Also, it may be inconvienient to point this out but if the abductees have freely decided to take North Korean citizenship, strictly speaking Japanese law says that they have implicitly renounced their citizenship and are no longer 'Japanese abductees'. I'm sure Japan would turn a blind eye to this but its worth pointing out the complications that can arise from the fact that dual nationality is not allowed for Japanese.

Yes, No, Maybe So.

keika1628May. 02, 2013 - 08:35PM JST

Posted in: Do you believe there are still Japanese abductees alive in North Korea? 2013

maybe less than I said was alive last year

I don't think it happened in the first place.

I don't think it happened in the first place

You do realize that North Korea has admitted to it and has sent back several of the abducted, right?

It unlikely that anyone for so long ago living in a country like N. Korea would still be alive but it is impossible to prove a negative. An interesting side issue that if N. Korea wanted to do it again, it probably would have no problem. I don't think Japan is any safer today than it was 30-70 years ago.

Come on guys of course. They didn't just get those few, and I doubt they did it that few times. Some may have died, but some may still live. There is also procreation, too, descendants and all.