The U.S. ambassador to the U.N. on Wednesday called North Korea’s past abductions of Japanese citizens “state-sponsored kidnapping” and urged Pyongyang to immediately resolve the decades-old cases.

“The United States stands with you, stands with Japan, with the Republic of Korea, and with every nation whose citizens were stolen by the DPRK,” Amb. Mike Waltz said during an online symposium on the abductions Wednesday.

“This was state-sponsored kidnapping, full stop,” he added.

Waltz specifically mentioned Megumi Yokota, who was abducted on her way home from school at the age of 13. He also referred to the case of Yaeko