President Trump met Monday with families of Japanese citizens who had been abducted by North Korea amid speculation about whether he would meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi posed for photos and spoke with the families, some of whom held up pictures of their loved ones.
“The U.S. is with them all the way,” Trump said, adding that it was an issue Takaichi felt strongly about.
Japan says at least 17 of its citizens were abducted by North Korea in the 1970s and 1980s. Five citizens were returned in 2002.
There has been speculation about whether Trump would meet with Kim Jong Un while on his trip to Asia this week. The president has left the possibility open, though White House officials have said there are no plans for such a meeting before Trump heads back to the United States on Thursday.
“I would. If you want to put out the word, I’m open to it,” Trump said as he flew to Malaysia on Saturday.
Trump met twice with Kim during his first term, including in 2019 when he became the first sitting president to set foot in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) between North Korea and South Korea. He has frequently boasted about his “great relationship” with the North Korean dictator.
