Message to General Secretary Kim of the Abduction Victims' Family Association

The North Korean abduction victims' family association has sent a new message to General Secretary Kim Jong Eun.

If all the victims can return to their home countries immediately, they will hear the secrets from the victims, and the idea that it will not hinder the normalization of diplomatic relations between Japan and North Korea will not change. There is a deadline for the deadline, ”he urges General Secretary Kim to make a decision.

On the 3rd, a meeting of the families and support organizations of the abductees was held in Minato-ku, Tokyo, and Yaeko Taguchi's older brother Shigeo Iizuka (82), who is the representative of the family association, said, "Rescue activities are considerable due to the influence of the new coronavirus. It's limited, but we never give up. "

At the meeting, the aging of the family became more serious, and the sense of crisis that there was little time left was shared again, and the family association sent a message to General Secretary Kim.

It's been 24 years since the family association was formed last month, but it's the second time since I was a kid to send a message to North Korea's top leaders.

According to this, if all the victims can return to their home countries immediately, the idea that they will not hinder the normalization of diplomatic relations between Japan and North Korea by asking secrets from the victims who have returned home remains unchanged.

On top of that, he mentioned that Kayoko Arimoto and Shigeru Yokota, who have played a central role in the family association since their formation, died one after another last year, stating that "the message has a deadline" and that the parents We are urging General Secretary Kim to make a decision to reunite with the victims while the generation is still alive.

In addition, the message includes an appeal to respond to the Japan-North Korea summit meeting, which was not available last time.

In addition, on the 3rd, the future movement policy was also summarized, and it was decided to ask the government to hold a Japan-North Korea summit meeting at an early stage and to negotiate without lowering the hurdle in order to realize the immediate return of all victims to Japan. I did.

Family meeting "The time left is not long"

Behind the statement in this message that the abduction victims'family association has a "deadline" is the strong impatience that the time left to realize the reunion of the victims and their parents' families is not long.

Last year, Keiko Arimoto's mother Kayoko died in February, and Megumi Yokota's father Shigeru died in June.

Keiko's father, 92-year-old Akihiro, and Megumi's mother, 85-year-old Sakie, are still alive and well.

Shigeo Iizuka, the older brother of Yaeko Taguchi and the representative of the family association, is 82 years old, and the siblings are aging.

Family members are anxious about their physical condition due to illness, and are waiting for the day when they can hug their children and relatives.

Even if the victim can return to Japan, it cannot be said that the problem will be solved without the relatives waiting at that time, and it raises a sense of crisis as to whether it will be possible to call it a "true solution". I will.

"This message has a deadline"

The first time the families of the abductees sent a message to General Secretary Kim Jung-eun was in February.

At that time, in order to remove the concerns of the North Korean side, which had embarked on a dialogue, I wanted to find out the secrets from the victims and show an attitude that they would not prevent the normalization of diplomatic relations, which would lead to the realization of returning to Japan.

In this message, he said that his thoughts had not changed, and included the phrase "this message has a deadline," which was not in the previous message.

He also stated that if the reunion of the parents' generation and the victims is not realized, "the majority of Japanese people will oppose the improvement of relations with North Korea," he told General Secretary Kim as soon as possible. We are urging all abductees to make an immediate bulk return decision as well as responding to the talks.

Behind this is the fact that the victim's parents died one after another last year, and it is necessary to properly convey the position that the abduction problem cannot be solved unless the parents' generation can reunite with the victim while they are still alive. I have a feeling that there is.

In addition, given the political system of North Korea, I strongly urge the realization of the Japan-North Korea summit meeting because I think that there is no other way but to reach out to the supreme leader who has all the decision-making power.

Family thoughts in the message

After the meeting, the families of the abductees talked about their thoughts in the message to General Secretary Kim.

Megumi Yokota's mother, Sakie Yokota, said, "As I get older, I'm getting weaker and I want to see my daughter sooner. I'm just angry as a parent for having a different life. I pray for safety every day with a feeling of real excitement. I think it's the final game, so I'd like to ask all the children to return to their parents. "

In addition, Megumi's younger brother, Takuya, said, "When I saw the cherry blossoms at this time, I remembered the picture of my sister's cherry tree in junior high school, and the weight of the time when I could not solve it after 44 years. I feel the seriousness of the human rights issue. The limits of the physical strength of the parents' generation are realistic, and I would like to encourage General Secretary Kim's decision by setting a deadline. "

And Koichiro Iizuka, the eldest son of Yaeko Taguchi, said, "The abduction issue did not surface easily because of the topic of corona, so we decided to raise our thoughts again. Our lives are limited and it is already time. "I want to emphasize that it is meaningless if I can't meet the victims while I'm fine," he said. "The government continues its policy that the abduction issue is the most important issue, but it needs to be changed. I feel. I want Prime Minister Kan to send a message that goes one step further to General Secretary Kim and realize the Japan-North Korea summit meeting. "

Meng (74), the older brother of Kyoko Matsumoto, who attended the meeting, said, "I think that by sending a message this time, we can see the reaction of North Korea little by little. Not only do we expect the government, but our family I want to work hard and rescue my family as soon as possible. "

The cherry blossoms taken at the time of the abduction are in full bloom

A photo taken in April 1977, seven months before Megumi Yokota was abducted, with the cherry blossoms in full bloom in the background.

This well-known photo was taken by his father, Shigeru, who was absent from the entrance ceremony of junior high school due to illness and took him to school a few days later on Sunday.

There is still a cherry tree at that time on the site of Niigata Municipal Yorii Junior High School, and it is in full bloom this time.

However, 44 years have passed, and it seems that the number of flowers that can be bloomed has decreased compared to that time.

It also means that some of the trees and branches that have been cut off have been cut off during this period.

Masaki Ikeda (56), a classmate of Ms. Gumi who visited the school on the 2nd, said, "I remember that picture in this season. When I saw that it was such an old tree," It's been a long time. " I feel like I'm going to cry. I want to do my best as a classmate so that Megumi, who has been waiting for help, can return to Japan. "