The mother of a Japanese girl who was abducted to North Korea at the age of 13 has made a fresh call for early return of abduction victims as her daughter will turn 60.
Yokota Megumi was kidnapped by North Korean agents when she was on her way home from a junior high school in Niigata City 47 years ago. She turns 60 on Saturday.
Her mother, Yokota Sakie, held a news conference on Thursday.
She placed photos of Megumi on display at the venue and showed a little jar that her daughter bought for her during an elementary school excursion in Hagi City, Yamaguchi Prefecture.
Yokota said that she cannot imagine what 60-year-old Megumi looks like now.
She said that she always wonders whether Megumi can feed herself and what she can do to rescue her daughter as soon as possible.
She also said it is taking too long to solve the issue so she cannot express her feelings in words.
Yokota said that she is worn out as she is getting old, and she takes it seriously that something unusual is happening in Japan.
The Japanese government has recognized 17 citizens as having been abducted by North Korea.
Five of them returned to Japan in 2002 following a Japan-North Korea summit. But the whereabouts of the remaining 12 are still uncertain.
Only two parents of the abductees, namely 88-year-old Yokota and 96-year-old Arimoto Akihiro whose daughter Keiko was also abducted to North Korea, are still alive.
Yokota said that she does not know how much time is left for her and the abduction victims who are waiting to be rescued in North Korea.
She urged the government to do all it can so that all victims can return home.