The families of Japanese nationals abducted by North Korean agents have released a new message for the country's leader Kim Jong Un. They say they will not oppose humanitarian aid if North Korea allows all the abductees to return while their parents are still alive.

This is the first time the relatives' group has mentioned humanitarian assistance in a message for the North Korean leader. The two previous messages were issued in 2019 and 2021.

The message states that the group will not object to the Japanese government providing humanitarian aid to North Korea if the country repatriates the abductees while their parents are still living.

It also proposes that Tokyo and Pyongyang work together to resolve various humanitarian issues.

The document calls on the North's leader to agree to meet with his Japanese counterpart as soon as possible, and immediately allow all the abductees to return home.

The members of the relatives' group and their supporters met in Tokyo on Sunday. They discussed how to achieve a prompt resolution of the issue, as the abductees' parents are aging. A number of these parents have died without being reunited with their children.

The group's leader, Yokota Takuya, said the abductees have been deprived of their freedom for decades, and the North's acts that violate human rights and humanitarian principles must never be tolerated.

He urged the Japanese government to hold a bilateral summit as soon as possible to bring back the remaining abductees. He added that they will not give up and will continue to raise their voices.

Yokota's older sister, Megumi, was abducted 46 years ago when she was 13.

Japan's government says North Korean agents abducted at least 17 citizens in the 1970s and 1980s. The whereabouts of 12 remain unknown.