JAPAN said yesterday it would push North Korea to allow several people abducted by North Korean agents decades ago to return home as soon as possible and to conduct a thorough investigation into why they were taken.

　　Japan colonized the Korean Peninsula from 1910 to 1945 and took thousands of Koreans to work in Japanese mines and shipyards and serve as sex slaves for Japanese soldiers.

　　Japan and North Korea have never had diplomatic relations, and normalization talks that began in 1991 fell apart two years ago primarily over the kidnappings.

　　Diplomats in Washington and other capitals are watching for positive clues from the meeting.

　　Kim is expected to agree to accept economic aid instead of direct compensation for Japan’s colonial rule. Tokyo gave South Korea US$500 million when they normalized ties in 1965.

　　Analysts have said Tokyo could provide up to US$10 billion to the economically crippled North.

　　Encouraged by the “historic” visit by Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi to Pyongyang, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan expressed the hope that the talks could lead to a speedy normalization of bilateral relations, according to a statement issued Tuesday at the UN headquarters in New York.

　　South Korean President Kim Dae-jung also welcomed the summit and hoped Koizumi’s trip would support his efforts to keep North-South ties on track.

　　“I hope the talks proceed well as it will help stabilize the Korean peninsula,” he said in a statement.

　　Russia hailed Tuesday’s first-ever summit between Kim and Koizumi, regarding it as an important event for peace and security in Northeast Asia.

　　The U.S. on Tuesday welcomed Koizumi’s landmark visit and indicated it was considering whether to reopen its frozen dialogue with Pyongyang.

　　(SD-Agencies)