Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan says he's willing to discuss with South Korea a dispatch of Japanese Self-Defense Forces in a contingency situation on the Korean Peninsula to rescue Japanese nationals believed to have been abducted by North Korea.

Kan made the remark Friday during a meeting with the families of those thought to have been abducted.

He told the families that Seoul and Tokyo are pursuing related talks to enable Japan to rescue its citizens from North Korea should there be an emergency on the Korean Peninsula.

He said that the situation on the peninsula remains volatile following North Korea’s artillery attack on South Korea’s Yeonpyeong Island last month.

A senior vice minister of the Japanese Cabinet said that Kan's proposed plan would require a revision of Japan’s laws on its Self-Defense Forces.