Visiting the families of President Biden's abduction victims Directly speaking to everyone

The family of the victims abducted by North Korea held a press conference after meeting with President Biden on the afternoon of the 23rd, and President Biden spoke to Megumi Yokota's mother, Sakie Yokota, who was sitting in a chair. He revealed that he spoke directly to all the families who attended.

The meeting between the families of the abductees and President Biden of the United States was held at the guesthouse in Minato-ku, Tokyo for about 30 minutes from 3:00 pm on the 23rd.

After that, the family had a press conference in Tokyo, and Megumi Yokota's younger brother Takuya (53) and his mother Sakie (86), who are the representatives of the family association, attended.

According to it, at the beginning of the visit, President Biden spoke to Sakie Yokota, who was sitting in a chair, on his knees and asked, "Can I hug you?", And the two hugged each other.

There was also a scene in which President Biden had lost two children and took a picture of his eldest son from his pants pocket and said, "It's hard to lose a family."

President Biden said he spoke directly to all the victims' families who attended the visit on the 23rd.

Sakie Yokota said, "The president said,'I understand your feelings well, I have the same feelings.' I was surprised to stand up because he bent over and talked to me." "Next year, I will be the same age as my husband died. Anyway, I want to see Megumi-chan at a glance, and I want to make all the victims return home," he said.

What the victim's family told me

Takuya Yokota, the representative of the abduction victims' family association, was abducted 45 years ago, when he was 13 years old in the first grade of junior high school, and Megumi was very abducted. He has a gentle, cheerful and cheerful personality, and has told President Biden that his family's conversations have decreased and his smile has disappeared since he was abducted.

He explained that he formed a family association in 1997 because his parents couldn't find any clues even if he desperately searched for it for 20 years. Shigeo Iizuka, who was the representative, reported that he died one after another in December last year, and said that the two who had been at the forefront of the rescue operation complained of the regret and regret that they died without being able to reunite with their relatives. That is.

He also sought the support and understanding of the United States to help all victims return home as soon as possible, assuming that all victims' families had the same suffering.

In response, President Biden said, "I am always praying. We will cooperate" after talking to each family member.

Shuichi Ichikawa's older brother Kenichi "Understood the suffering of his family."

At a press conference, Kenichi (77), the brother of Shuichi Ichikawa, a victim of the abduction in Kagoshima Prefecture, said, "President Biden approached each family and listened to me. It was all I could say, but I believe he understood the suffering of his family over the years. "

After that, Mr. Ichikawa, who was interviewed by NHK, said, "President Biden said,'I also lost my child,' and took a picture of the child from my pocket and talked to me. Please understand the feelings of the victim's family. I think it was because my family is getting older and I don't have time. I hope that today's visit will help me to solve the problem, even though I have been unable to work for nearly three years due to the influence of the new Corona. "

Chief Cabinet Secretary Matsuno "On a meaningful opportunity to deepen understanding of the abduction issue"

At a press conference, Chief Cabinet Secretary Matsuno said, "President Biden met with the families of the abductees on their first visit to Japan as president and encouraged them to encourage them. He listened carefully and seriously to the statement calling for US support for a solution as soon as possible. "

He added, "I think this visit was a meaningful opportunity to deepen the understanding of the abduction issue in the United States, including President Biden. The abduction issue is the most important issue for the Kishida Cabinet, and the families of the abductees are aging. In the meantime, we will continue to work closely with Japan and the United States, and will do our utmost to realize the earliest possible return of all abductees without missing any chances. "