A/HRC/10/18 page 19 nuclear programmes, it is hoped that more concrete progress will be made in the near future, as positive developments on this front can pave the way to improvements in human rights. 74. With regard to abductions, while the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea has already admitted to committing a number of these crimes, some cases remain unsolved. Currently, there are 17 persons listed officially as abducted by the State. While five returned to Japan following the summit between the two States in 2002, other cases await an effective commitment from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to clarify and settle the matter satisfactorily. The sixparty talks have provided some space for dialogue on these matters, while bilateral tracks have complemented this avenue. Significantly, working-level consultations were held between the two States in August 2008, where both agreed on the concrete modality and related measures to ensure a comprehensive investigation of the abductions issue, to be conducted by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, including that State’s need to establish an investigation committee to undertake and conclude investigations effectively and expeditiously, and to cooperate with Japan so that the latter will be able to directly confirm the results of the investigation with relevant sources of information. 75. It should be recalled that despite various United Nations resolutions, the international community remains highly dissatisfied with the response of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to the abductions issue. There is a need for the State to honour its commitments and to settle matters genuinely, transparently and credibly. Internationally, it is increasingly recognized that the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea is also responsible for the abduction of nationals of other countries, thus globalizing the issue extensively. 76. Japan has taken a range of measures to influence the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to be more responsible in its actions, including prohibition of visits of vessels from the country, and various embargoes and restrictions on trade and exchanges. In 2006, an important law was adopted in Japan to address the issue of human rights violations, with amendments in 2007 to strengthen international cooperation on this front. The law provides for a number of measures, including awareness-raising activities for the Japanese public. The law also provides for the measures to protect and support defectors from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, including the Japanese spouses of Koreans who migrated to Japan, Korean residents from Japan who later settled in the Democratic People’s Republic but now wish to return to Japan, and nationals from the Democratic People’s Republic seeking asylum in Japan. A welcome development is that Japan is now increasingly offering protection to a number of people in such categories, and is expected to be expanded by means of educational, occupational and psychological support systems. On humanitarian grounds, channels should be explored to enable those who have returned to Japan to reunite with the families left behind in their country of origin. 77. The Special Rapporteur paid a visit to the Niigata Prefecture, where a number of abductions had taken place, particularly in the 1970s, and consulted the authorities on the underlying circumstances. Geographically, Niigata faces the coastal area of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, whose agents landed clandestinely to commit the above-mentioned crimes. Interestingly, a number of governors of prefectures came together in late 2008 to adopt a common position advocating for a prompt resolution of the problem, including measures to invite their sister cities in other countries to support efforts in this respect.