Sakie Yokota, Last Surviving Parent of a North Korea Abductee, Urges Daughter’s Return Ahead of 90th Birthday

The Yomiuri Shimbun

21:00 JST, January 28, 2026

Sakie Yokota, mother of Megumi Yokota, who was abducted by North Korea at the age of 13, held a press conference in Kawasaki on Tuesday ahead of turning 90 years old on Feb. 4. “I want the government to tackle this issue with everything it has,” she said. “I just want them returned to us as soon as possible.”

Megumi was taken while on her way home from junior high school in Niigata in November 1977. Since the association of families of abduction victims was formed in 1997, Sakie, along with her husband Shigeru, who died in 2020, and other association members, have conducted signature-gathering campaigns and given lectures. “Even after campaigning for this problem for such long time, I don’t understand why it can’t be resolved,” she said.

Last February, Akihiro Arimoto, father of Keiko Arimoto, who was abducted at the age of 23, passed away at the age of 96, leaving Sakie as the sole surviving parent of an abductee. “My physical strength is weakening, but I must strive to continue living,” she said firmly.

The campaigning period for the House of Representatives election kicked off Tuesday, but not much has been said on the abduction issue. Sakie said, “If [Diet members] say they will protect Japan and the people, I hope they will hold a summit meeting between the leaders of Japan and North Korea right away.”