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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.
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.
