米国連大使、拉致家族と面会　帰国実現「取り組む」

　来日中の米国のトーマスグリーンフィールド国連大使は１８日午前、北朝鮮による拉致被害者家族と首相官邸で面会した。家族側は拉致問題の早期解決に向けた支援を要請。大使は「あらゆる機会を捉えてこの問題を取り上げたいし、全ての家族の帰国を目指して取り組みたい」と強調した。
　横田めぐみさん＝拉致当時（１３）＝の弟で家族会代表の横田拓也さんは「日米が中心となり、暴挙に強く抗議し、（解決を）強く迫る必要がある」と主張。全被害者の一括帰国など条件付きで日本独自の制裁解除に反対しない家族会の方針にも理解を求めた。母の早紀江さんは「８８歳になってしまったので、元気な間に何とか（娘に）会いたい」と訴えた。
　拉致問題担当相を兼ねる林芳正官房長官も同席。面会後の記者会見で「拉致問題の解決に向け、米国をはじめ関係国と緊密に意思疎通していく」と述べた。（2024/04/18-12:19）

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield on Thursday met with families of Japanese nationals abducted by North Korea decades ago.
   In their meeting at the prime minister's office in Tokyo, the families sought support from Thomas-Greenfield for resolving the abduction issue early.
   The ambassador said that U.S. President Joe Biden's administration "remains committed to raising this issue at every opportunity and calling for the return of abducted Japanese citizens to their families."
   "Japan and the United States need to play a central role in strongly protesting the outrageous acts and pressing (North Korea to resolve the issue)," said Takuya Yokota, who heads a group of relatives of the abductees. His older sister, Megumi, was kidnapped to North Korea in 1977 when she was 13.
   He also asked for U.S. understanding of the group's policy of not opposing a possible lifting of Japan's own sanctions on certain conditions, such as the return home of all victims at once.