Parents of kidnapped girl speak out

Kawasaki, Japan — The parents of Megumi Yokota, the most famous among 13 Japanese abducted by North Korea in the 1970s, called Wednesday for a reinvestigation into their situations and the eventual return of Japanese that they suspect still remain in North Korea, including their daughter.
In light of the United States’ recent announcement that it would remove North Korea from its terrorism list the Yokotas, along with various other groups, have been speaking out more strongly for the cases of the missing Japanese to be reopened. They spoke Wednesday in Tokyo to a gathering of foreign journalists and Japanese professionals.

In light of the delisting, many in Japan have raised concerns that reinvestigation into the abduction issue, which North Korea promised earlier last month, would be brushed away. The Yokotas expressed their deep disappointment with the delisting. Still, Megumi’s father Shigeru Yokota stated firmly, “We are not asking the United States to solve this problem, but for their cooperation. This issue should be solved between North Korea and Japan.”

Shigeru and Sakie Yokota have become the most visible symbol of the abduction issue in their unflagging efforts to bring the abductees back to Japan. North Korea claims that Megumi married a South Korean national and gave birth to a daughter before becoming mentally unstable and committing suicide. As proof the Yokotas were presented with what Pyongyang claimed were Megumi’s bones. DNA tests revealed, however, that the bones belonged to two separate North Koreans, to which North Korea responded that the DNA tests had been falsified.

Sakie Yokota, the mother of Megumi, told the gathering, “Already 30 years have passed since Megumi was abducted, and my life has been like a nightmare.” She stated, “This is a fight. No parent can accept North Korea’s statement that this is over.”

The Yokotas outlined their opinion that while the U.S. delisting did not help their cause, Japan still has a strong card to play in light of North Korea’s need for economic assistance. Even with financial assistance from China and Russia, without Japan’s assistance, the Yokotas believe that no real progress is possible.

The Yokotas met with the Association of the Families of Victims Kidnapped by North Korea, the National Association for the Rescue of Japanese Kidnapped by North Korea and an association of Japanese Diet members supporting the return of the abductees on June 17th. At this meeting four points were made: the Japanese government should fully disclose to the public any possible policy changes regarding the abduction issue; any sanctions currently imposed on North Korea by Japan should not be lifted until new investigations are made; the Japanese government should impose stronger sanctions against North Korea if investigations are postponed further; the Japanese government should persuade the United States to cease further talks with North Korea until the abduction issue is resolved.

The abduction issue has become an emotional issue for Japan. Relations with North Korea have been strained and Japan has always raised the abduction issue in six-party talks. Three documentaries have been made about the abductions and a two-hour special aired on Japanese television. The Japanese government recently produced a short animated film to spread awareness about the abduction victims. In Niigata, where Megumi was kidnapped, the local group has been especially vocal, sponsoring charity events and garnering the support of the governor.

The NARKN believes that North Korea has abducted citizens from different countries including Lebanon, Romania, China, Thailand, France, the Netherlands, Italy, Jordan, Malaysia and Singapore. South Korea estimates that 82,959 of its citizens were abducted during the Korean War, and 489 during the post-war period.



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