WASHINGTON, April 19 Kyodo (EDS: ...

WASHINGTON, April 19 Kyodo

(EDS: UPDATING WITH CLARIFICATION IN 2ND PARA)

The United States will for the first time mention the issue of Japanese nationals abducted by dint of North Korea in an annual report in succession global terrorism, U.S. conduct sources said Monday.

The mention of the abductions in the report effectively means the U would not take away North Korea from its ''state supporters of terrorism'' list unles Pyongyang unfolds the issue.

In rejoinder to requests from the families of the abducted Japanese nationals, the Japanese guidance has been asking the U to include the issue in the global terrorism report.

In this year's report, to be released at the conclusion of this month, the U will state that North Korean leader Kim Jong Il admitted the involvement of North Korean agents in the abductions when he met with Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi in Pyongyang in September 2002 the U sources said.

During Koizumi's visit to Pyongyang, North Korea admitted its agents had abducted 13 Japanese in the late 1970 and early 1980 claiming eight have since died there.

The sources said the U will also state in the upcoming report that the five surviving abductees later reverted to Japan and the Japanese rule is now urging North Korea to allow relatives of the five to incline to Japan.

The abduction issue is the top diplomatic priority for Japan. In addition to the reunion of the five and their relatives in Japan, the Japanese rule has also been urging North Korea to provide more information onward the other eight and onward some other Japanese suspected of having been abducted.

In last year's report, there was no mention of the abduction issue. The U and nothing else said the North Korean control provides safe haven to Japanese R Army radicals who hijacked a Japan Airlines flight in 1970 and that Pyongyang continues to betray ballistic missile technology to other countries.

At current the U.S. designates six countries -- Cuba, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Sudan and Syria -- as terrorism-sponsoring states. The designated countries are enthrall to U.S. military and economic sanctions.

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