The families of five Japanese nationals kidnapped by North Korea a quarter of a century ago have appealed for them not to be sent back to the Communist state.

The five are currently visiting their homeland for the first time, following North Korea's admission last month that its agents carried out the abductions.

I have lived for the last 24 years as best I could - are you saying it was a waste of time?

Kaoru Hasuike

Family members say the returnees are not able to speak freely because they had to leave their children behind in North Korea as "hostages".

None of the returnees have explicitly said they want to stay in Japan. They have said they are settled in North Korea.

"I had a family and a convenient life," said Yasushi Chimura, who was abducted with Fukie Hamamoto, now his wife, in 1978.

"I was happy so I didn't really feel I wanted to go home."

Relatives' fears

The Japanese Government says it is trying to arrange for the permanent return of the abductees and the seven children.

The children, who were all brought up in North Korea, are reported to be unaware their parents were abducted, or even that they were Japanese.

It has been an emotional reunion for the families

The five are the only known survivors of at least 13 people kidnapped in the late 1970s and '80s to help teach Japanese customs to North Korean spies.

They have been welcomed as returning heroes, with handshakes and hugs with school friends broadcast on prime-time television.

The abductees are due to go back to North Korea next week, but their families are afraid they will never meet again.

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"North Korea has broken all sorts of promises in the past... if it turns out they cannot come back to Japan after going to North Korea it will be too late to do anything," the relatives said in a letter to the government.

"Some family members are so frightened they have fallen ill."

Kaoru Hasuike, who was abducted with Yukiko Okudo, now his wife, is reported to have reacted angrily when friends have tried to persuade him to return to Japan.

"I have lived for the last 24 years as best I could. Are you saying it was a waste of time?" he is quoted as saying.

The fifth abductee, Hitomi Soga, married an American who is listed as a deserter from the US army.

Japan is due to hold talks with North Korea next week on the normalisation of diplomatic relations.

Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi told parliament on Wednesday that the abduction issue would be a top priority.

Also high on the agenda will be North Korea's admission that it has been working on a secret nuclear weapons programme.