50 Years Since Daughter's Abduction... A Mother's Tearful 90th Birthday [Japan Human Side]

Megumi Yokota's mother Sakie speaks out in media interview
Her fate remains unconfirmed as talks drag on

In South Korea, a documentary about North Korean soldiers who took part in the war in Ukraine was recently broadcast, bringing North Korea-related issues back into the spotlight. In Japan, there has been a strong public reaction after an update on the mother of an abduction victim was reported. It has been almost 50 years since her daughter was abducted by North Korea when she was a first-year middle school student, and the mother is now 90 years old. She wished, as her birthday wish, to be able to meet her daughter at least once while she is still alive. Today, we share the story of Japanese abduction victim Megumi Yokota and her mother, Sakie.

Yokota Sakie speaking. Tokyo Broadcasting System.

On the 4th, NHK conducted an interview with Ms Sakie, who had just turned 90. She said, "I cannot believe so much time has passed," and added, "As I get older, I do feel that my strength is fading. Every day I pay attention to how I walk and what I eat so that I do not fall. I also try not to let myself become too depressed."

Her daughter, Megumi, was born in 1964 and disappeared on her way home from school when she was in her first year of middle school. It later emerged that this was not a simple missing-person case but that she had been abducted by North Korean agents, which sparked major controversy. North Korea announced that Megumi had died of depression in 1994, and in November 2004 it handed over cremated remains to the Japanese government. However, analysis of the remains showed that they belonged to a completely different person. As a result, the Japanese government and Megumi's family have placed greater weight on the possibility that she is still alive and continue to demand her repatriation.

Yet it has already been nearly 50 years since Megumi was abducted. The family has consistently pressed the Japanese government to take action, but there has been little tangible progress. Ms Sakie raised her voice, saying, "North Korea is the one that is most pleased about this situation. They will think that Japan is a country that conducts diplomacy in a sloppy way."

A sunset photo Sakie took herself that she carries around for her daughter. Photo by NHK.

Her longing for her daughter is still very much ongoing. For more than 20 years, Ms Sakie has had the habit of taking a photo every day of the sunset visible from her apartment balcony. She says this is because Mount Fuji can be seen in the distance from her home, and the sunset that falls over it is beautiful. She has the photos printed and keeps them tucked into a small notebook that she carries with her. She explained that the reason is that she could meet her daughter at any time, and if that happens, she wants to show her the photos and say, "Let's go and see the sunset together."

Megumi's abduction was officially acknowledged at the 2002 Japan-North Korea summit. After that, five abductees were able to return to Japan. However, in Megumi's case, more than 20 years have passed since then, yet there has been no visible progress. On top of that, various rumors have circulated, such as claims that she has already died or that someone using the same name has been seen active somewhere, making it impossible to state with certainty whether she is alive or dead.

NHK pointed out that "while negotiations have been delayed, both the victims and their family members have grown older, and family members who had been waiting for their loved ones' return have passed away one after another." Including Megumi, there are 12 abductees whose survival the Japanese government has not been able to officially confirm, and among them, there are as many as 9 sets of parents who passed away without being reunited with their children. As of now, Ms Sakie is said to be the only surviving parent.

Cover of Ms. Sakie's book 'Megumi and My 35 Years', published to appeal for resolution of the abduction victims issue. Shinchosha.

The association of abductees' families is strongly urging the government to realize the collective return of all victims while the parents' generation is still alive.

At a press conference on the 3rd, Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said, "We must resolve Ms Sakie's suffering as soon as possible," and declared, "We will use every possible means to resolve the various issues with North Korea, including the return of the abduction victims."

However, Ms Sakie confided to NHK, "I have appealed many times to successive prime ministers, but all I have received in return are promises that they will make efforts, with no actual action." One can only hope that progress will be made on this issue before even more time passes.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.