Outsized role of the abduction issue in Japan's politics and international implications

Abstract

As the leaders of Japan and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) hint at the possibility of a summit, it is important to revisit the significance of the abduction issue for Japan’s domestic and international politics. The hardline attitude of conservative Japanese politicians on the issue of Japanese citizens abducted by the DPRK has created unmanageable expectations for Japan in its approach to the rogue state and strained its capacity for multilateral cooperation to resolve the DPRK’s nuclear weapons issue. A reframing of the abduction issue is needed to increase Japan’s leverage in multilateral fora.