TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba pledged Thursday to bring back Japanese nationals abducted by North Korea decades ago, but his plan to set up liaison offices to resolve the long-standing issue met with opposition from the abductees' family members.

In his first face-to-face meeting as prime minister with the families, Ishiba underscored the urgency of the issue, describing it as "a race against time," and expressed eagerness to hold summit talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

"The government shares the view that the issue must be solved whatever it takes and therefore we will do our utmost," Ishiba said during the meeting at his office.

The government officially lists 17 people as abducted in the 1970s and 1980s by North Korea, which is also suspected in many other disappearances. Pyongyang maintains that the abduction issue has been resolved.

Takuya Yokota, whose older sister Megumi is one of the abductees, said he is "strongly opposed" to the idea of having a liaison office in Japan and another in North Korea, as envisaged by Ishiba.

"It won't do anything other than buy time," Yokota, who heads the family group, told the prime minister. But Yokota later told reporters he felt Ishiba has a "strong intention to resolve the issue while in office."

Japan, which is also concerned by Pyongyang's nuclear and missile development, does not have diplomatic ties with North Korea.

Ishiba's immediate predecessor, Fumio Kishida, was positive about holding one-on-one talks with the North Korean leader, but no summit materialized.

Sakie Yokota, Megumi's mother, said she "will never give up" until her daughter returns to Japan, urging Ishiba to arrange summit talks with North Korea.