Families Call for Early Return of Japanese Abductees at Rally
17:40 JST, May 28, 2023
TOKYO (Jiji Press) — Takuya Yokota called for the early return of his older sister, Megumi, who was abducted by North Korea decades ago at the age 13, and other Japanese abductees at a rally in Tokyo on Saturday.
Yokota, 54, who heads a group of Japanese abductee families, told the rally that parents of abduction victims have passed away one after another while the issue has remained unresolved for a prolonged period of time. “There is no time left,” he stressed.
Yokota said his mother, Sakie, 87, is receiving treatment after being hospitalized temporarily about two months ago due to poor health. “We definitely want to bring all [of the abductees] back to their parents,” he said.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who attended the rally, was asked by Yokota to “look in the eyes of [North Korean leader] Kim Jong Un and talk [with him] in person” as he did with fellow leaders of the Group of Seven major powers at the summit held in Hiroshima earlier this month.
Noting that no Japanese abductee has returned home since 2002, Kishida said, “The time-pressured abduction issue cannot be treated lightly even for a moment.”
“We’ll do our best to address [the issue] decisively, to realize the return of all abductees,” Kishida added, pledging efforts to advance negotiations to realize a meeting with Kim at an early date.
At the rally, participants adopted a resolution asking the Japanese government and North Korea to achieve the abductees’ return home all together immediately.
The event was attended by about 800 people, including families of abductees, supporters and parliamentary members.
"Society" POPULAR ARTICLE
-
JICA Employee Suspected of Leaking Info on ODA Project in Manila; Bidding for Railway Renovation May Have Been Impacted
-
Typhoon Kong-rey to Reach South of Japan’s Okinawa on Thursday; JWA Urges High Alert for Strong Winds, Heavy Rain
-
Typhoon Trami Forms East of Philippines, Moving Westward
-
Typhoon Kong-rey Expected to Turn into Tropical Storm after Possible Pass Over Taiwan
-
Sapporo Sees Season’s 1st Snowfall; Snow Comes 8 Days Earlier Than Average
JN ACCESS RANKING
- Streaming Services Boost Anime Popularity Overseas; Former ‘Geeky’ Interest More Beloved Among Gen Z than 3 Major U.S. Sports
- JICA Employee Suspected of Leaking Info on ODA Project in Manila; Bidding for Railway Renovation May Have Been Impacted
- G20 Sees Soft Landing for Global Economy; Leaders Pledge to Resist Protectionism as Trump Calls for Imported Goods Flat Tariff
- Japanese Automakers Team Up on Software Development; Aim to Compete with U.S., China in SDV Market
- 2024 POLLS: Ruling Camp Likely to Win Lower House Majority