JAPAN TODAY


 

The mother of Megumi Yokota, an iconic victim among Japanese nationals abducted by North Korea decades ago, is growing increasingly despondent over the prospects of reuniting with her daughter, whose 60th birthday was Saturday.

"I'm saddened whenever her birthday comes around as it reminds me of the reality I'm in," said Sakie Yokota, 88, in a recent interview with Kyodo News, while lamenting how the abduction issue was not extensively debated in the lead-up to Shigeru Ishiba becoming Japan's new prime minister last Tuesday.

Megumi was abducted by North Korean agents in Niigata Prefecture on the Sea of Japan coast in 1977 while returning home from badminton practice at her junior high school.

Yokota fondly recalled her moments with Megumi, including making her a traditional Japanese sushi dish called chirashizushi topped with colorful ingredients and buying cakes for her friends when they came to celebrate her birthday.

Asked about her thoughts on her daughter's kanreki, or 60th birthday, Yokota said, "I imagine she'd reflect on the many memories of celebrating her birthday with close friends and wonder, 'How did I end up in this situation?'" Yokota said. In Japan, the age 60 symbolizes rebirth and is celebrated with special significance.

Yokota, who underwent heart surgery after collapsing at her home in February 2023, told one of her two sons recently that she is "starting to lose confidence" in someday being reunited with Megumi.

"I began worrying I might never see her again if something (like that) happens again in two or three years," said Yokota, who now lives alone in Kawasaki, following the 2020 death of her husband Shigeru, with whom she led the campaign to bring back the abductees.

"As the clock is ticking, I want the government to act quickly" to bring all the abductees back to Japan, she said.

North Korea claims Megumi died by suicide in 1994, and in 2004, it sent to Japan what it said were her remains. However, Japanese forensic analysis revealed the DNA did not match hers.

Megumi is among 17 people officially listed by Japan as abducted in the 1970s and 1980s by North Korea, which is also suspected in many other disappearances. Pyongyang maintains that the abduction issue has been resolved.

Five of the abductees returned to Japan in 2002. While Tokyo continues to push for the early return of the other 12, little progress has been made.

"The government must continue to make its point that it cannot tolerate the abductions. Everybody in Japan needs to think this way. It is not just a matter of feeling sorry for Megumi," Yokota said.

Ishiba said at his first press conference since assuming office on Tuesday that the "abduction issue is a top priority for our cabinet" and vowed to "work with strong determination to realize the early return of all abductees to Japan."

During his campaign for the presidency of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, which he won on Sept 27, Ishiba said he would seek to open liaison offices in Tokyo and Pyongyang to move the issue forward as the two countries have no diplomatic ties.

But Takuya Yokota, a younger brother of Megumi and a head of a group representing the families of Japanese nationals abducted by North Korea, dismissed the idea as nonsensical.

"I hope that (Ishiba's government) will take a strong stance against North Korea without falling for its deceptive tactics," he said in a recent statement.