A Japanese man who was taken to North Korea and later repatriated has urged high school students not to forget the abductions issue.



Hasuike Kaoru spoke at a high school in Niigata City, central Japan, on Wednesday. The day marked 23 years since the first summit between Japan and North Korea.



The North Korean side admitted at the meeting to having abducted Japanese nationals. This led to the return of Hasuike and four other victims.



But 12 others recognized by the Japanese government as having been abducted by North Korean agents remain unaccounted for.



Hasuike told some 300 students at Niitsuminami High School what it was like to be snatched away at the age of 20.



He explained that North Korea abducted young foreigners to train them as spies who would do whatever they were told.



Hasuike noted that Yokota Sakie, the 89-year-old mother of abductee Yokota Megumi, is the only surviving parent.



He said time is running out, and North Korea appears to be waiting for Japan to become quiet about the issue when the parents' generation is gone.



Hasuike stressed that this must not happen, and urged young people to firmly remember the abductions issue even a decade or two from now.



A female student said she alone might not be able to do something worthwhile, but she promised to tell her family and friends what she heard.



Hasuike later said 23 years have passed, with the abductions issue at a standstill.



He said the Japanese government must seriously sum up its actions, and reconsider whether its strategy had been correct and what is fundamentally needed now.