Mother Voices Fear of Not Seeing Abducted Daughter Again

Kawasaki, Kanagawa Pref., Nov. 11 (Jiji Press)–The mother of Megumi Yokota, a Japanese national abducted by North Korea decades ago, voiced fear Tuesday that she might never see her daughter again. “Sometimes I wonder if I will ever see her again,” said Sakie Yokota, the 89-year-old mother, at a news conference in Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture, near Tokyo, ahead of the 48th anniversary of the abduction on Saturday. She called on the Japanese government to realize a Japan-North Korea summit at an early date, saying, “Without talks, there will be no progress.” Megumi was abducted on Nov. 15, 1977, while on her way home from junior high school in the central Japan city of Niigata. “Why can’t such an important matter be resolved?” Sakie said. “I’m stunned.” When asked about her message to Megumi, the mother said, “Every year for decades, I have been asked, ‘How do you feel?’ but I feel completely exhausted now.” Regarding the government’s response, she said: “We have asked every prime minister to hold a Japan-North Korea summit as soon as possible, but it has never happened. It’s a sickening feeling.” However, she acknowledged current Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s eagerness to address the issue and expressed hope, saying, “This is the first time I have felt a prime minister’s enthusiasm.” Shigeru, Sakie’s husband who died in 2020 at the age of 87, would have turned a year older on Friday. Sakie said she talks to his photo in the living room, asking what she should do and whether he can see her from above. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]