Twenty-two years have passed since North Korea admitted to the abductions of Japanese nationals at a landmark summit. Families of abductees are reiterating their calls for Japan’s government to do more to bring them all back home.
The first summit between the two countries, in Pyongyang on September 17, 2002, resulted in the return of five abductees from North Korea. But still 12 of the 17 Japanese nationals whom Japan’s government says were abducted by North Korean agents remain unaccounted for.
Over the past 22 years, eight parents of the officially recognized abductees have died, and only two are still alive: the 88-year-old mother of abductee Yokota Megumi, and the 96-year-old father of Arimoto Keiko.
The families of abductees are demanding that their loved ones be returned while the remaining parents are alive.
Megumi’s younger brother, Yokota Takuya, talked to NHK. He heads a group of Japanese abductees’ families.
Yokota said there must be a lot of frustration among the abductees themselves. He said that’s why any stalemate in politics is unacceptable. He said politicians should put more energy into the efforts to resolve the problem.
Yokota also urged North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to make a bold decision. He said that, as a father and the leader of a country, Kim must not leave this human rights issue unresolved.