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The Mainichi
24-05-2025
- Politics
- The Mainichi
Japanese abductees' kin urge N. Korea's Kim to return loved ones
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Families of Japanese nationals abducted by North Korea pleaded with the country's leader, Kim Jong Un, to return their loved ones during a national rally in Tokyo on Saturday. "Resolve the negative legacy left by your predecessors and turn your country into one that can envision a brighter future through courage and bold decision-making," said Takuya Yokota, a 56-year-old younger brother of Megumi, a symbolic figure among the abductees. A moment of silence was held at the start of the meeting for Akihiro Arimoto, the father of Keiko Arimoto, who was 23 when she was abducted. He died in February at age 96. Holding a photo of Keiko, Yokota vowed that "those of us remaining will continue to raise our voices, so his disappointment will not be in vain," as he called on the Japanese government to realize a Japan-North Korea summit. Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who also attended the rally, expressed his intention to seek a resolution through talks with Kim, saying, "We will break through by any means. We will further strengthen our efforts through various channels." Since the return of five abductees to Japan in 2002, Tokyo has sought the release of 12 others it has officially recognized as having been taken by North Korea. It also suspects Pyongyang's involvement in the disappearances of other Japanese citizens. "As a parent, I have done everything I can, but nothing has happened. I always wonder if this will be resolved while I am still alive, but I want to stay strong and not cry," said Megumi's 89-year-old mother, Sakie. Megumi Yokota was abducted at age 13 by North Korean agents in Niigata Prefecture on the Sea of Japan coast in 1977 while returning home from badminton practice at her junior high school. Pyongyang claims she died by suicide in 1994. Around 800 people participated in the rally, according to a group of the victims' families and other organizers. A resolution adopted at the meeting urged Kim to make a decision. It stated that the group would not oppose humanitarian aid from Japan or the lifting of sanctions on North Korea if all abductees were returned while their parents were still alive.
24-05-2025
- Politics
Families Demand N. Korea Return All Japanese Abductees
Tokyo, May 24 (Jiji Press)--Families of Japanese nationals abducted to North Korea and their supporters held a national rally in Tokyo on Saturday to demand the immediate return of all abductees. "We really have no time left," a participant said, bearing in mind that Sakie Yokota, 89, the mother of abductee Megumi, has become the only surviving member of the generation of the abductees' parents. Megumi was kidnapped in 1977 when she was 13. The rally was attended by Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba. At the beginning of the event, a minute of silence was observed in memory of Akihiro Arimoto, the father of abductee Keiko, who died in February this year. Keiko disappeared in Europe in 1983 when she was 23. Takuya Yokota, 56, a younger brother of Megumi and head of a group of families of abductees, gave a speech calling for a Japan-North Korea summit. [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
NHK
30-04-2025
- Politics
- NHK
Japanese abductees' relatives meet senior US official to seek support
Relatives of Japanese nationals abducted by North Korea met with a senior US State Department official to seek American support for the swift return of the abductees. The relatives and their supporters met Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau in Washington on Tuesday and held talks for about 30 minutes. The relatives are Yokota Takuya, who heads a group of abductees' families, and Iizuka Koichiro. Yokota is a younger brother of Yokota Megumi, who was abducted by North Korean agents at the age of 13. Iizuka's mother Taguchi Yaeko was taken when he was just a year old. Yokota said after the meeting that he told Landau that his mother, Yokota Sakie, is now the only surviving parent of the 12 abduction victims identified by the Japanese government who have yet to return home. The Japanese government has so far recognized 17 citizens as having been abducted by North Korea in the 1970s and 1980s. Five returned home following a Japan-North Korea summit in 2002, but the remaining 12 are still unaccounted for. During his first term, US President Donald Trump raised the abduction issue in his meetings with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. The Japanese delegation conveyed to the US side its hope that the issue be raised again if another US-North Korea meeting is held. In response, Landau reportedly indicated that the administration intends to work toward resolving the issue. The US department announced on Tuesday that Landau "reaffirmed US support for Japan in achieving an immediate resolution of the abductions issue." The department also said Landau "expressed his condolences for Arimoto Akihiro, who was unable to reunite with his abducted daughter Keiko before he passed away February 15." Yokota said he asked for Japan and the US to work together to resolve the issue as there is no time left. He added that the meeting was very fruitful. The delegation said a meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had originally been arranged for Tuesday but did not take place. They said they have requested to meet with him sometime later this week.
Japan Times
06-03-2025
- Politics
- Japan Times
Former abductee urges Japan to work with U.S. to press North Korea
Shimada, Shizuoka Pref. – Kaoru Hasuike, who was abducted by North Korea before returning to Japan, on Wednesday called for Japan to work with the United States to press North Korea to help reunite Japanese abductees and their families. Speaking at an event held by the Research Institute of Japan, a Jiji Press affiliate, in Shimada, Shizuoka Prefecture, Hasuike said that the abduction issue "has not been resolved." Referring to the eight Japanese abductees who have not yet returned home, Hasuike said, "They can come back tomorrow or the day after if North Korea makes a decision." Japan should strongly demand a deadline be set for resolving the issue so that Sakie Yokota, 89, can be reunited with her daughter Megumi, who was abducted to North Korea at the age of 13, Hasuike said. "I want the (Japanese) government to tell North Korea that it is prepared (to act) if North Korea fails to meet" the deadline, he said. Meanwhile, Hasuike expressed a sense of alarm about U.S. President Donald Trump, saying that his administration "may take matters into its own hands if Japan doesn't closely follow what the United States is doing and ingrain the abduction issue deep into there." As for Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's proposal to establish a Japan-North Korea liaison office, Hasuike voiced a willingness to consider it.
