Latest news with #MegumiYokota
Japan Times
5 days ago
- General
- Japan Times
Mother of North Korean abductee urges government to have sense of mission over issue
Sakie Yokota, the mother of a child abducted by North Korea, called on the Japanese government to tackle the abduction issue with a sense of mission, as Thursday marked five years since the death of her husband, Shigeru. Speaking to reporters Tuesday in the city of Kawasaki in Kanagawa Prefecture, Sakie, 89, said she feels "great loneliness" after the death of her husband, whom she described as a "serious person." Following the abduction of their daughter Megumi in the city of Niigata in 1977 when she was 13, Shigeru launched a group of abductees' families in 1997, serving as its first leader and working hard with Sakie to give lectures and collect signatures to call for an early resolution. But Shigeru died in 2020 at the age of 87 without being able to see his daughter again. Sakie said she could discuss anything with Shigeru, saying she now tells his portrait in the living room of her home that the situation of the abductees remains unknown. This year marks 48 years since Megumi's abduction, and Sakie has become the only living parent of an abductee. "It's so hard that I won't want to give birth and raise a child even if I am reborn," the mother said. "I hope (the Japanese government) will have a sense of mission that they have to bring (the abductees) back seriously," Sakie said. She called for holding a summit meeting between the Japanese and North Korean leaders at an early date, saying, "I hope top officials look each other in the eye and discuss." On Thursday, posters for a charity concert calling for Megumi's return to Japan were put up in buses operating in Niigata. The posters were made by Megumi's former elementary and junior high school classmates. According to Masaki Ikeda, 61 and head of the group of former classmates, a total of 50 posters will be on display in buses operated by Niigata Kotsu until the date of the concert, Oct. 4. The posters show a photograph of Megumi standing in front of a cherry tree and a picture of her and her parents hugging each other. "In order to make progress for her return to Japan, we will bring the thoughts of various people together and make a big wave of support to the government," Ikeda said.
Japan Times
25-05-2025
- Politics
- Japan Times
Families demand North Korea return all Japanese abductees
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. "We really have no time left. We want the Japanese government to take action so that we can reunite with our family members and siblings who were abducted," he said. Ishiba emphasized the significance of appealing to the international community to solve the problem. "We will by all means make a breakthrough. We will make further approaches through various channels," he said, expressing his eagerness to meet directly with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Megumi "disappeared suddenly," her mother recalled, saying that she had "walked along the beach, searching and crying." She asked for support for the resolution of the abduction issue. The rally, organized mainly by the family group and an organization supporting such families, brought together about 800 people, including lawmakers. During the event, a resolution was adopted requesting the Japanese government and North Korea to realize the immediate return of all abductees.
NHK
24-05-2025
- Politics
- NHK
Abductees families again call for government to act
Families of Japanese nationals abducted by North Korea have again demanded a swift resolution of the decades-old issue. The families' group and their supporters held a rally in Tokyo on Saturday. About 800 people took part, including Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru. At the outset of the rally, participants observed a moment of silence for Arimoto Akihiro. He died in February at age 96 without being reunited with his daughter, Keiko, who was abducted by North Korea in 1983. Keiko's sisters were also present. Group leader Yokota Takuya said he is deeply vexed considering the feelings of Akihiro, who had been working since before the group was formed to recover his daughter. Yokota urged the government to take action to bring about the return of their loved ones as soon as possible. He said the only way to realize this is for Prime Minister Ishiba to hold a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Yokota's older sister Megumi was abducted in 1977 when she was a first-year junior high school student. The mother of Megumi, 89-year-old Yokota Sakie, is now the only surviving parent of the citizens the Japanese government has so far recognized as having been abducted by North Korea and remaining there. She said she often wonders whether the issue will ever be resolved while she's alive. But she is determined to stop sobbing and instead walk a lot, take enough nourishment and remain positive and energetic, so she can welcome her daughter in good condition. Prime Minister Ishiba claimed the families' heartfelt cries represented his resolve and the widely held sentiments of people around the country. He said the abductions are not only a human rights problem, but an infringement of Japan's sovereignty. He said a bilateral summit will be necessary to make a breakthrough, and vowed to do more to realize such a meeting. The participants adopted a resolution that calls on the government to bring all the victims home together immediately while their parents and other relatives of that generation are still alive. They also urged North Korea to take the decision to repatriate the victims.
Yomiuri Shimbun
16-05-2025
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Families of Japanese Abducted by North Korea Ask New U.S. Ambassador for Cooperation; Families Urge for Quick Return of Abductees
The Yomiuri Shimbun From left: Former abductee Hitomi Soga, whose abducted mother is still missing; Sakie Yokota, the mother of abductee Megumi Yokota; and Takuya Yokota, brother of Megumi Yokota, speak with reporters after meeting U.S. Ambassador George Glass in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo, on Thursday. Family members of Japanese nationals abducted by North Korea met the new U.S. Ambassador to Japan George Glass at his official residence in Tokyo on Thursday. They asked the ambassador for his cooperation in materializing the prompt and joint return of all the abductees. The meeting behind closed doors was held at the suggestion of the U.S. Embassy with 11 members participating from eight of the abductees' families. Glass remarked that it would be unbearable for him if he were the parent of an abductee and that his heart truly ached, according to Takuya Yokota, 56, a younger brother of abductee Megumi Yokota and the head of the group. 'He's a very warm-hearted person,' said Sakie Yokota, 89, the mother of Megumi who was abducted when she was 13. 'I told him that I hoped he would solve the problem together with Japan.' Akihiro Arimoto, the father of Keiko Arimoto who was 23 when abducted, died in February at the age of 96. Ikuko Arimoto, 64, a younger sister of Keiko, came in his place and took part in the group for the first time.
The Mainichi
29-04-2025
- Politics
- The Mainichi
Families of Japanese abducted by N. Korea to seek US aid for return
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- The families of Japanese nationals abducted by North Korea decades ago said Tuesday they are planning to meet with U.S. government officials and lawmakers to seek support for the early return of the victims. Takuya Yokota, 56, the younger brother of Megumi Yokota -- a symbolic figure among the Japanese abductees -- and others including Koichiro Iizuka, 48, the son of Yaeko Taguchi, who went missing in 1978 at age 22, left Tokyo for Washington the same day. 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. Before his departure from Haneda airport, Yokota told reporters, "With the international situation fluid, the United States and North Korea may draw closer," as President Donald Trump has recently said he has a "great relationship" with leader Kim Jong Un. Iizuka said he will convey to the United States his desire for the abduction issue to be taken up at the negotiating table if relations between Washington and Pyongyang move forward. The United States and Japan do not have diplomatic ties with North Korea. In February, Akihiro Arimoto, the father of abductee Keiko Arimoto, died aged 96. Yokota and Iizuka are carrying to Washington a copy of a letter that Arimoto received from Trump in the past and a photograph of his daughter, both entrusted to them by the family. "I want (the United States) to better understand that we do not have much time," Yokota added. 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.
