‘Too Many Years Have Passed’; Japanese Abductee Megumi Yokota’s Mother Bemoans Unresolved North Korea Abduction Issue

The Yomiuri Shimbun

14:06 JST, November 17, 2024

NIIGATA — A rally organized by the Niigata prefectural government and other entities was held in Niigata on Saturday and called for resolving the abduction issue of Japanese nationals by North Korea.

Forty-seven years have passed since Megumi Yokota was abducted.

“Too many years have passed. This extremely important issue has not moved forward at all,” said Megumi’s 88-year-old mother, Sakie, who attended the rally online.

Megumi was kidnapped on her way home from school in Niigata on Nov. 15, 1977, when she was 13 years old. During the rally, Hitomi Soga, 65, an abductee who returned to Japan in 2002, spoke of her memories of Megumi when they were in North Korea.

“I only remember her as a cute little girl with dimples,” she said. “I want to watch movies and TV programs in Japan with her and laugh out loud together.”

The rally has been held annually since 2005. About 730 people, including Megumi’s 56-year-old twin brothers, Takuya and Tetsuya, attended this year.