Broadcasts to be aired for abductees

The government said Friday it will begin radio broadcasts in the next fiscal year to reach people it believes were abducted by North Korea and may still be alive there, government sources said.

The move came after communications minister Yoshihide Suga last month issued an unprecedented order to NHK to air programs about North Korea's abductions of Japanese nationals on its shortwave radio service.

The government has also decided to provide funding to the Investigation Commission on Missing Japanese Probably Related to North Korea, a private group, to help it pay for another shortwave radio service called Shiokaze, which broadcasts family messages to abductees who may still be alive.

The move apparently reflects Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's efforts to draw attention to the abduction issue.

The radio broadcasts will be produced by the government, which will hire stations mainly in South Korea to air them, the sources said.

"It's the greatest hope for abduction victims in North Korea to know (their) families in Japan and the Japanese government have not given up on them," Suga said.