During his visit to Japan, U.S. President Donald Trump met with families of Japanese citizens abducted by North Korea on May 28.

U.S. President Donald Trump, during his visit to Japan, met with families of Japanese citizens abducted by North Korea at the State Guesthouse in Moto-Akasaka, Tokyo, where he held a summit with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on May 28. Yonhap News.

President Trump met with the victims' families for about 10 minutes at the State Guesthouse in Moto-Akasaka, Tokyo, where he had held a summit with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.

Prime Minister Takaichi also attended the meeting.

President Trump stated that the issue of Japanese abductees by North Korea is "always on my mind" and expressed his commitment to do everything possible to resolve it.

He also told the families, who held up pictures of the abductees, "I remember all of your beautiful faces," and added, "America will be with you until the end."

Among those present at the meeting were families of abductees, including Sakie Yokota, the mother of Megumi Yokota (13 years old at the time of her disappearance), a symbolic figure of the Japanese abductees.

President Trump comforted the families by lightly patting them on the shoulder and responding in kind to their bows.

When asked by reporters if he would discuss the abductions with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, President Trump replied, "We were very busy. We will be discussing it."

It was unclear whether the "we" mentioned by President Trump referred to himself and Kim Jong Un, or to his administration and its members.

Previously, President Trump met with families of abductees during his visits to Japan in November 2017 and May 2019.

However, it was reported that he showed a cautious attitude towards meeting with the abductees' families despite requests from the Japanese side prior to this visit.

In relation to this, Kyodo News reported on May 26 that President Trump was showing a reserved stance on meeting with the abductees' families, suggesting that he might be mindful of North Korea as he reiterated his desire to meet with Kim Jong Un.

The speculation is that President Trump would not want to delve into an issue that North Korea dislikes, given his intention to meet with Kim Jong Un during his visit to South Korea from May 29-30 on the occasion of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit.

While on board Air Force One en route to Tokyo from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on May 27, President Trump had stated, "It would be great to meet him," regarding the possibility of meeting with Kim Jong Un.

He also said, "Nothing is set yet, but if he wants to meet, I want to meet," and added, "If he wants to meet, I will be in Korea."

Meanwhile, after President Trump departed, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo remained to hear more from the abductees' families.

The meeting between the abductees' families and the U.S. side was initially announced in the U.S. as an event for Secretary Pompeo, not President Trump.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, a government spokesman for Japan, stated at a regular press conference on the afternoon of May 28 that "the meetings between President Trump and Secretary Pompeo with the victims' families were of great significance as an opportunity to reaffirm the United States' full support and the strong cooperation between the U.S. and Japan for the immediate resolution of the abduction issue."

Yonhap News