Aso to visit abduction site in Niigata Sat.+

TOKYO, July 30 Kyodo -
Prime Minister Taro Aso is set to visit a site Saturday in Niigata Prefecture
where a Japanese national was abducted by North Korean agents in 1977, making
him the first premier to do so.

He will visit the Sea of Japan coastal prefecture as president of the ruling
Liberal Democratic Party as part of his campaign tour that he is set to start
on Saturday in the run-up to the Aug. 30 general election.
''The problem of abductions (by North Korea) is an important issue that must be
solved,'' Aso told reporters. ''I believe I have to deal with the issue
properly as (LDP) president.''
Aso is scheduled to visit the site in Niigata City where Megumi Yokota was
kidnapped in November 1977 when she was 13.
''It will be the first visit to an abduction site by a Japanese prime
minister,'' Chief Cabinet Secretary Takeo Kawamura said at a press conference
in the morning.
Since dissolving the House of Representatives last week, the unpopular Aso has
mostly visited business organizations to ask for their support in the election,
while his rival, Democratic Party of Japan leader Yukio Hatoyama, has already
gone on a stumping tour.
==Kyodo
2009-07-30 22:21:08