By DPA
Tokyo : A committee of Japan’s House of Representatives Wednesday adopted a resolution urging the US to keep North Korea on the list of countries that sponsor terrorism.
Supporters of the measure demanded North Korea make progress first on resolving the issue of Japanese nationals it abducted in the 1970s and 1980s.
The US agreed to begin the process of removing North Korea from the list of terrorism-sponsoring nations, a move to facilitate normalisation of relations with the communist country and provide energy aid to it. In return, the country has pledged to dismantle its nuclear programme.
Japan also signed on to the nuclear agreement at six-nation talks but has refused to provide energy aid until a resolution on the abductions adopted.
While Tokyo still suspects that some of its citizens are being kept in North Korea, Pyongyang insists all the abduction victims, who were taken to instruct North Korean agents on the Japanese language and culture, have either been returned to their home country or have died.