Relatives of Japanese nationals abducted by North Korea have called for the return of their loved ones while their parents are still alive, saying time is running out.

They made the appeal at a rally in Tokyo on Saturday. North Korea first acknowledged the abductions at a summit with Japan in September 2002.

Five abductees returned to Japan that year, but the others, including 12 recognized by the Japanese government, remain unaccounted for.

Fifty-four-year-old Yokota Takuya is the leader of the relatives' group. His older sister, Megumi, was abducted in 1977 when she was 13.

Yokota cited the group's new policy of not opposing humanitarian aid to the North if Pyongyang allows all the abductees to return while their parents are still alive.

He said the families face the severe reality that the parents of the abductees are growing older, and time is running out.

He said he wants the government to prioritize the abductions as a humanitarian issue, setting it apart from North Korea's nuclear and missile development programs.

Yokota also noted that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has been appearing in the media more often with his daughter. He said the families recognize Kim's love for his child, and want Kim to remember that the parents of the abductees have the same feeling.

Megumi's mother, Sakie, also spoke at the event. The 87-year-old said the families have grown old during what she described as a "long battle."

She said she herself fell ill about two months ago and was hospitalized for treatment. She said she has held the ardent desire to this day to bring the abductees back to their parents.

She expressed the hope that the leaders of Japan and North Korea have one-on-one talks at an early date.

The families concluded the rally by adopting a resolution calling on the Japanese government to take action and urging North Korea to make a decision so all the abductees can return while their parents are still alive.

Forty-six years have passed since the first abductions, but there appears to be no prospect for a complete resolution of the issue.