朝鮮同意重新調查日本被綁架者下落

Japan says it is ready to ease sanctions on North Korea, satisfied Pyongyang is following through on a pledge to reinvestigate the abduction of Japanese nationals decades ago.

日本表示準備放鬆對朝鮮的制裁，因爲它滿意地得知，平壤方面將遵守承諾，重新調查幾十年前數名日本人被綁架一事。

Shinzo Abe, prime min-ister, said yesterday he was pleased at the “unprecedented” authority granted to a committee set up to examine the disappearance of people seized by North Korean agents in the late 1970s and early 1980s to train spies in Japan’s language and customs.

日本首相安倍晉三(Shinzo Abe)稱，他對一個新委員會得到的“空前”授權表示滿意。成立該委員會是爲了追查一些日本人的下落，這些人是在20世紀70年代末和80年代初被朝鮮特工綁架的，目的是強迫他們訓練間諜學習日本語言、瞭解日本習俗。

In 2002, five were returned and Pyongyang said that of the remaining 12 identified by Japan, eight had died and four never entered its territory – a claim contested by Tokyo.

朝鮮于2002年把其中5人交還給了日本。朝鮮政府表示，在日本提交姓名的其餘12人中，8人已經死亡，4人從未踏入朝鮮領土。日本政府對此說法持異議。

In exchange for a more thorough probe, Japan said it would lift the entry ban on North Korean-registered ships at Japanese ports and relax some restrictions on money transfers.

日本表示，作爲更徹底調查的交換條件，它將解除朝鮮註冊船舶在日本港口的禁入令，並放寬一些針對資金轉賬的限制。

The announcement follows a meeting between foreign ministry officials from the two sides in Beijing on Tuesday, which had been hailed as the first substantive talks on the matter for more than a decade.

聲明發布之前，日本和朝鮮兩國外交部官員週二在北京會晤。此次會晤被稱爲是十多年來日朝雙方在此問題上的首次實質性會談。

“This is only a start,” Mr Abe said.

“這只是個開始，”安倍晉三表示。

“We will do our utmost to resolve the issue.”

“我們將盡最大努力解決問題。”

The fate of the abductees has soured bilateral relations while complicating efforts to deal with the threat of North Korea’s missile launches and nuclear weapons tests. Within the past week, Pyongyang has carried out three rounds of missile firings.

被綁架者的命運影響了朝日兩國關係，並使應對朝鮮發射導彈和核試驗威脅的努力複雜化。朝鮮過去一週發射了三批導彈。

The issue has been covered widely by the media in Japan, with document-aries and talk shows regularly broadcasting interviews with relatives.

綁架事件得到日本媒體的廣泛報道，紀錄片和脫口秀經常播出對被綁架者親屬的採訪。

Any progress on the matter is likely to give a boost to Mr Abe’s popularity.

此事如果出現任何進展，都很可能提高安倍晉三的支持率。