Saturday marks the 60th birthday of Yokota Megumi, a Japanese woman abducted decades ago by North Korea. Her mother is once again urging the government to bring her daughter back.
In 1977, Megumi was kidnapped by agents from Pyongyang on her way home from school in Niigata Prefecture. She was 13.
The Japanese government says North Korea abducted at least 17 citizens in the 1970s and 80s. The whereabouts of Megumi and 11 others remain unknown.
Megumi’s mother, Yokota Sakie, took part in a rally on Friday night in Tokyo.
Sakie said her daughter was taken away even though she had done nothing wrong, and that the 47 years they’ve been apart feels as long as a lifetime.
Sakie is now aged 88. Speaking after the rally, she said she has lost her ability to remember things about Megumi on her birthday.
Megumi’s younger brother also took part in the rally.
Yokota Takuya said the group of abductees’ families that he heads is opposed to Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru’s idea of solving the issue by setting up liaison offices in Tokyo and Pyongyang.
Takuya claimed that North Korea strictly controls the abductees yet lies about not knowing of their whereabouts. He also said a liaison office would help Pyongyang buy time.