Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio has pledged to take action to build ties with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to resolve the issue of Japanese nationals abducted by the North.

Kishida was speaking at a rally organized on Sunday by relatives of those abducted by North Korea in the 1970s and 1980s.

He said it is extremely regrettable that none of the abductees has returned to Japan since 2002.

Kishida said his government aims to comprehensively resolve pending bilateral issues, such as the abductions and the North's nuclear and missile programs, settle the unfortunate past and normalize ties in line with the 2002 Pyongyang Declaration.
He added that the abductees' situation is a human rights issue with time constraints as their families are aging.

Kishida said it is extremely important to take the initiative in building relations between the leaders of the two nations. He said that is why he has reiterated his willingness to meet with Kim at any time without preconditions and he will do his best to that end.

The Pyongyang Declaration was signed when then-Japanese Prime Minister Koizumi Junichiro visited the North's capital for a historic summit in September 2002.

North Korea's then-leader Kim Jong Il officially acknowledged the abductions and apologized at the summit. The two countries also agreed to work toward an early normalization of bilateral relations.