Relations between Japan and North Korea are as bad as they’ve ever been. Yet the bilateral negotiations between the two over the abduction of Japanese citizens continue.

Professor Tsutomu Nishioka, chairman of the National Association for the Rescue of Japanese Kidnapped by North Korea (NARKN), said that Pyongyang’s response to Japan’s demands for the resolution of abduction issue are largely due to Tokyo’s tight sanctions on North Korea and inspections of Chongryun (the pro-North General Association of Korean Residents in Japan). These measures, he said, will be key to resolving the abduction issue, Nishioka told NK News from his office in Tokyo.