Ishiba pledges to bring back abductees from N Korea in 1st meeting with families

How many Japanese leader that already made similar pledges in the past?

Great start. Begin with one of the classic conservative storylines.

You can always tell there's an election in the offing when these poor, sad families are dragged out of the closet and their grief paraded around for LDP votes.

The abductees have been there for so long, maybe they have made a life for themselves over there and don't want to come back.

The live ones have already come back

No chance.

I feel sorry for these families being used to bolster support for the LDP. It's disgusting.

empty promise that Ishiba has no idea about how to fulfill (and probably no interest either).

Bring our people home now!

How many Japanese leader that already made similar pledges in the past?

And how would you resolve the issue?????????????????

Every administration since the 90s has made this pledge. With hardly any, if not any, diplomatic ties to that country, I don't see how this will happen.

Sheesh... here we go. Already pandering to the audience for popularity with things he KNOWS he is never going to do. Is there an election coming up or something? The poor families of the abductees!

Good luck with that.

Buahahahaha! He officially passed the first PM's trial :D

Always?Today  08:05 am JST

And how would you resolve the issue????????????????

A more pertinent question is how Ishiiba is going to do it, but the answer is he isn't.

First thing they need to do is talk to the other country. They won’t even do that, so good luck with that promise.

Unless PM Ishiba has some idea up his sleeve that he's not disclosing, I think this is very unlikely to happen.

Election season rhetoric.

Maybe there’s a manual for the newly elected PM’s to do list.

just communication propaganda. just an excuse to tease NK and increase military budget, indeed why Japan Gov does not care about foreigner disappearance or killed in japan???

as economy is falling , japan is trying to find a scapegoat. the same BS routine..............

25 Prime Ministers since the 1970s and 25 pledges...

Oh good.

Start off your PM reign with the same hot air BS every single PM before you has done for the last 40+ years.

SO much for "change" huh Ishi?

Sakie Yokota, Megumi's mother, said she "will never give up"

Lady, we feel for you. But It's over, you gotta move on already.

A very sad merry-go-round and a pledge no PM can keep.

I just want to say STOP IT. Your giving false hope to the families, and it's just politicking, and it I suppose it gets air time.

Miracles can happen. Christmas is coming after all.

It takes two to tango and I don't think His Corpulence in Pyongyang is even a tiny bit interested in dancing.

Any abductees still in North Korea are long dead. Deep down they know this but either can't face the reality or just want to use the issue to drum up support. In the end it is just a sad story with no happy ending.

No proof of life.

If there was some sort of indication that there is cause for optimism and that there is a real stated window of opportunity to get North Koreans to play ball NOW , ( when pretty much all indicators suggest the exact opposite ) then we could all join these poor families with a shared sense of hope and optimism.

but ,

if this is just the same sort of pre-election, cruel and empty promising it is nothing but a disgrace and bordering on reprehensible. Are we already getting a glimpse of what Ishiba is made of ?

Ishibasan, wanna be taken seriously work behind the scenes, make it happen THEN hold your press conference.

ignoring scandal: check

snap election despite saying not to: check

yasukuni tribute: check

promise to bring nk abductees back: check

yup, prime minister of Japan material for sure

Two major scandals actually. First you had the Unification Church scandal and next the donation/corruption scandal. Yet, here again, everyone expects the LDP to win again. Democracy, ah, smell the freedom!

ignoring scandal: check

A story from the 80’s still around with these politicians? I mean these are the best of Japanese?