Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio says he will do his utmost to bring back all Japanese nationals abducted by North Korea decades ago.

Yokota Takuya, who heads a group of abductees' families and who is the brother of abductee Yokota Megumi, met with Kishida on Monday. His mother, Yokota Sakie, also attended the meeting.

They handed Kishida a new action plan that was compiled by the group last month.

The plan says the group does not oppose the Japanese government lifting sanctions on the North if all the abductees are returned while their parents are alive. The group referred to the lifting of sanctions for the first time.

Kishida replied he is determined to resolve the issue by his own hands, and he vowed to make further efforts to realize the goal.

He also said he needs to take the initiative to eliminate the distrust between Japan and North Korea in order to forge a brighter future. He said he would try to realize a summit meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

Yokota said North Korea has been sending signals that are apparently different from the past. But he said he wants the Japanese government to face Pyongyang with a firm stance without making concessions.

His mother, Sakie, said the abductees' families have been working to bring back loved ones who have been missing for 46 years. She said she wants Kishida to get things moving while he is in office.