Foreign Minister Taro Kono issued a statement on Nov. 15 saying that Japan welcomes the resolution condemning North Korea’s violations of human rights adopted by the Third Committee of the United Nations General Assembly. In the statement, he pointed out that the resolution “signifies strong concerns that the international community displays over North Korea’s violations of human rights, including the abductions of Japanese nationals” and stressed that “Japan continues to strongly urge the North to take concrete action.”