TOKYO, Oct 28, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - US President Donald Trump met Tuesday with families of Japanese abducted by North Korea decades ago and said "the US is with them all the way" as they asked for help to find their loved ones.

After years of denial, North Korea admitted in 2002 that it had sent agents to kidnap 13 Japanese people who were used to train spies in Japanese language and customs.

The comments came ahead of a mooted meeting between Trump and North Korea's Kim Jong Un, as the US president heads to South Korea on the next leg of his Asia tour.