Latest news with #AssociationofFamiliesofVictimsKidnapped
Japan Forward
11-08-2025
- Politics
- Japan Forward
Next Generation Tackles the Abductions Issue at Recent Summit
このページを 日本語 で読む On August 8th, Tokyo's Headquarters for the Abductions Issue hosted the third "Junior High School Student Summit," bringing together students from across Japan to discuss the North Korean abductions issue. Launched by the Japanese government in 2023, this initiative aims to raise awareness and deepen understanding of the topic among young people. A total of 67 students participated. They were each recommended by education boards from prefectures and designated cities around the country. At the start of the event, Takuya Yokota, younger brother of abduction victim Megumi Yokota (now 60, abducted at age 13), delivered a speech. He is now the principal representative of the Association of Families of Victims Kidnapped by North Korea. Yokota emphasized that "the abductions issue is not a matter of the past, but an ongoing human rights concern." Takuya Yokota speaks at the "Junior High School Summit," where students discuss the North Korean abductions issue on August 8, Taito Ward, Tokyo. (©Sankei by Yuki Kajiyama) He also shared personal stories about Megumi's cheerful nature and their childhood together. Then, he recounted how, in 1977, his sister was abducted by North Korean agents who had slipped into Niigata City. Later, from one of the suspects, they learned that the agents boarded Megumi onto a ship bound for North Korea, while she cried out all the way, "I want to go home." "For 47 years, she has been unable to communicate with her family, receive an education, or pursue her dreams. I want people to truly grasp just how long that time has been," Yokota said. At the summit, students brainstormed ideas for educational videos on the abductions issue and brought their concepts to life through short plays. The government plans to produce videos based on the best ideas and release them online in December. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi, who also oversees the abductions issue, expressed hope at the event. "The messages conveyed by young people like you will become powerful voices that resonate with adults," he said. Author: The Sankei Shimbun このページを 日本語 で読む
Yomiuri Shimbun
01-05-2025
- Politics
- Yomiuri Shimbun
U.S. Lawmakers Introduce Measure Urging Japanese Nationals Abducted by North Korea to Be Returned
The Yomiuri Shimbun Members of the Association of Families of Victims Kidnapped by North Korea and others meet with U.S. lawmakers in Washington on Wednesday. WASHINGTON — A bipartisan resolution was introduced to the U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday requesting the government take measures to realize the return of Japanese nationals abducted by North Korea. The resolution, announced at a press conference Wednesday by members of the Association of Families of Victims Kidnapped by North Korea and others visiting Washington, strictly criticizes North Korea by saying that the abduction of Japanese is directly against the basic rules of freedom and liberation. It also requests that the U.S. government pushes North Korea to return bones of the abductees who have died. On Wednesday, Takuya Yokota, 56, Koichiro Iizuka, 48, and others met with U.S. Reps. Jen Kiggans, a Republican, and Jill Tokuda, a Democrat. Iizuka, who was only a year old when his mother Yaeko Taguchi was kidnapped at the age of 22, asked the lawmakers to give him a chance to see his mother again.
Asahi Shimbun
30-04-2025
- Politics
- Asahi Shimbun
U.S. reassures families about help on N. Korea abduction issue
Takuya Yokota, center, head of the association of abductees' families, and Koichiro Iizuka, left, its secretary-general, address reporters after meeting with U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau in Washington on April 29. (Ryo Kiyomiya) WASHINGTON—In their first meeting with a senior official of the second Trump administration, families of Japanese nationals abducted by North Korea found a receptive ear as they asked for support in bringing their loved ones home. Members of the Association of Families of Victims Kidnapped by North Korea met with U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau here on April 29. Landau 'reaffirmed U.S. support for Japan' in achieving an immediate resolution of the long-standing abduction issue, according to the U.S. State Department. Family members, whose relatives were abducted by North Korean agents during the 1970s and 1980s, emphasized that time is running out because association members are in their advanced ages, Koichiro Iizuka, secretary-general of the group, told reporters. They urged U.S. President Donald Trump to raise the abduction issue 'without fail' if he sits down for another summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Trump, who met with Kim three times during his first administration, has expressed his willingness to hold direct talks with the North Korean leader. Iizuka, son of abductee Yaeko Taguchi, said the meeting was encouraging and that the delegation will continue calling for U.S. support on the abduction issue during the trip. The family members were accompanied by Japanese lawmakers from the Committee of Congressional Members to Act for the Early Rescue of Japanese Victims Abducted by North Korea. Takuya Yokota, head of the families' association, said he believes that the need to resolve the abduction issue has been 'drummed into the heart' of Trump, who met with abductees' families during his first administration. Yokota, brother of abductee Megumi Yokota, told reporters that now is a crucial time for Japan and the United States to concentrate their efforts on returning the aging abductees. Akihiro Arimoto, father of abductee Keiko Arimoto, died in February at the age of 96, and family members were carrying a photograph of Keiko. Landau offered his condolences to the family of Arimoto, who was unable to reunite with his daughter, according to the State Department. Arimoto's death left Sakie Yokota, 89, mother of Megumi Yokota, as the only surviving parent of a North Korean abductee among members of the families' association. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio was originally scheduled to receive the delegation but called off the appointment immediately prior to the meeting. Members of the families' association and the parliamentarians' group also talked with Mark Takano, a House member from the Democratic Party, on April 29. During the trip through May 4, the delegation is expected to meet with Bill Hagerty, a senator from the Republican Party and U.S. ambassador to Japan during the first Trump administration.
