By Kevin Buckland
TOKYO (Reuters) -&nbsp;Japanese Prime Minister Fumio&nbsp;Kishida&nbsp;said on Saturday he was&nbsp;willing&nbsp;to&nbsp;meet&nbsp;North Korean leader&nbsp;Kim&nbsp;Jong&nbsp;Un&nbsp;to try and resolve the issue of&nbsp;Japanese nationals abducted in the 1960s and 1970s, media reported.
"I am determined to face&nbsp;Kim&nbsp;Jong&nbsp;Un&nbsp;directly myself, without any preconditions,"&nbsp;Kishida&nbsp;said at a gathering on the issue in Tokyo, the Mainichi Shimbun&nbsp;newspaper said. The Nikkei and Kyodo news agency carried similar reports.
Pyongyang admitted in 2002 to kidnapping 13&nbsp;Japanese citizens decades before. Five abductees and their families later returned to&nbsp;Japan, saying the others had died.
However, Tokyo believes 17&nbsp;Japanese were abducted, and continues to investigate the fate of those who didn't return, according to local media.
&nbsp;
(Reporting by Kevin Buckland; Editing by&nbsp;Kim&nbsp;Coghill)

you might like

Japan PM Kishida says willing to meet Kim Jong Un over kidnappings