Relatives of Japanese nationals abducted by North Korea say they will not oppose the Japanese government lifting sanctions on the North if all the abductees are returned while their parents are alive.

The group of relatives and their supporters held a meeting in Tokyo on Sunday.

Yokota Takuya, the head of the group and the brother of abductee Yokota Megumi, said a long and painful time has passed since the abductions occurred.

He said all the abductees' parents, except for Arimoto Akihiro and Yokota Sakie, have passed away, and there is no time left.

The group compiled a new action plan that does not oppose the Japanese government providing humanitarian aid to North Korea and lifting its sanctions if the North allows all the abductees to return together while their parents are alive.

The plan stresses that there is a time limit for this policy. It says the group will urge the Japanese government to step up its sanctions if the abductees are not returned while the parents are alive.

The Japanese government's sanctions include a total trade embargo and a ban on port calls by North Korean-registered ships. They were imposed for North Korea's abductions of Japanese nationals, nuclear development and missile launches.

Members of the group of abductees' families used to hold protests against visits to a Japanese port by a North Korean cargo-passenger ship, the Mangyongbong.

Last year, the group decided not to oppose the Japanese government's provision of humanitarian aid to the North if the country allows all the abductees to return while the remaining parents are alive.

With its latest move, the group apparently hopes the Japanese government will take action and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will decide to swiftly resolve the abduction issue, as the abductees' parents are advancing in age.