The family association of victims abducted by North Korea held a meeting in Tokyo and said, ``If all the abductees can be returned to Japan at once while their parents' families are still alive, we will lift the independent sanctions imposed by our country.'' We have put together a new activity policy that states, ``We will not oppose this.''

The reason why the families of the victims, who had previously called for sanctions against North Korea, are the first to go so far as to lift them, albeit with conditions, is that, as the population continues to age, the parents' generation is now using the lifting of sanctions as a cardinal. The aim is to urge North Korea to come to a complete resolution while it is still alive and well.

On the 25th, the family association of the abductees held a meeting in Tokyo with members of support organizations, and Megumi Yokota's younger brother Takuya, a representative of the family association, said, ``It has been a long and painful time since North Korea abducted Japanese people.'' During that time, many members of my parents' generation who dreamed of reuniting with their families and siblings have passed away, and now there are only two members of my parents' generation, Akihiro Arimoto and Sakie Yokota. We really don't have much time left."



At the conference, a new activity policy was compiled for the early return of all abductees, stating, ``If all abductees can be returned to Japan at once while their parents' families are still alive, Japan will provide humanitarian assistance.'' We do not oppose the lifting of the independent sanctions imposed by our country."



He emphasized that this policy has a "limited time limit" and called for stronger independent sanctions if all victims are not returned to Japan at once while their parents are still alive.



In response to North Korea's abduction, nuclear, and missile issues, the Japanese government has implemented its own sanctions, including a complete ban on imports and exports from North Korea and a ban on North Korean ships entering ports. This is the first time that the family association, which has held demonstrations against the entry of the Mangyongbong cargo-passenger ship connecting North Korea and Japan, has even mentioned the lifting of its own sanctions.



The reason behind the family's decision to go so far as to ``lift sanctions'' following last year's ``humanitarian aid'' is that, as their parents' generation ages, the issue of abductions, which is time-limited, should be prioritized in isolation from nuclear and missile issues. The aim is to strongly encourage the government's efforts and the decisions of General Secretary Kim Jong Un to resolve the issue.

The background is the aging of the victim's family.

The reason why the family association of the abductees went so far as to ``lift the independent sanctions'', albeit with some conditions, is that the victims' families are aging further, and that it is difficult for the families of the abductees to be reunited while they are still alive. There is a strong sense of urgency that there is only a short amount of time left.



Of the 12 parents of the abductees recognized by the government whose safety is unknown, only two are still alive


: Megumi Yokota's mother, Sakie, and


Keiko Arimoto's father, Akihiro. I did.



Among them


, Sakie Yokota was hospitalized for the first time last year after becoming ill for a time, and she turned 88 years old on the 4th of this month.



Also


, 95-year-old Akihiro Arimoto is forced to use a wheelchair.



As the families waiting for the victims to return to their homes are aging, the government has been using the expression ``the abduction issue is a time-sensitive humanitarian issue'' since October 2020, and has been showing an attitude of hastening the resolution of the abduction issue. Prime Minister Kishida has announced that he would like to begin high-level consultations under his direct control in order to make a Japan-North Korea summit meeting a reality.



Meanwhile, on the 15th of this month, Kim Yo Jong, the younger sister of North Korean General Secretary Kim Jong Un, released an unusual statement regarding Japan-North Korea relations through the state-run Korean Central News Agency.



``If the abduction issue, which has already been resolved, is not an obstacle to relations between the two countries, the day may come when Prime Minister Kishida will visit Pyongyang,'' he said, adding, ``We should further assess Prime Minister Kishida's true intentions.'' , indicating an attitude of paying close attention to the future direction of the Japanese side.



The Family Association, which has suffered from the damage caused by the abductions, has stepped forward to ``lift sanctions'' this year, following last year's ``humanitarian aid'', albeit with conditions, as it waits for the nuclear and missile issues to be resolved. With time running out, we desperately want to create a breakthrough for the victims to return home.

Japanese government's own sanctions


In addition to sanctions based on United Nations Security Council resolutions, the Japanese government


is implementing its own sanctions

against North Korea, which has outstanding abduction, nuclear, and missile issues .



Among these, the independent sanctions


include a complete ban on imports and exports from North Korea


, a general ban on the entry of people with North Korean nationality


, a ban on North Korean ships entering ports


, a ban on air charter flights to and from North Korea, and a ban on


Japan.


Strict restrictions have been placed on the flow of people, goods, and money between Japan and North Korea,

such as by suspending national government employees from traveling to North Korea .



The family association of the abductees has been asking the government to resolve the issue through "pressure" since there has been no progress since the five victims returned to Japan in 2002.



In 2005, families of victims from all over the country gathered for three days near the Prime Minister's official residence to demand economic sanctions, and also held a sit-in at the wharf of Niigata Port, where the Mangyongbong, the only cargo-passenger ship connecting North Korea and Japan, docks. We also held protests.



Subsequently, in response to North Korea's missile launches in 2006, the government imposed its own sanctions, and since then, North Korea has repeatedly launched ballistic missiles with unprecedented frequency and method, and efforts to resolve the abduction issue have continued. Given the lack of progress, sanctions are still in place.

Takuya Yokota: ``This is a difficult decision.''

After the meeting, the family association of the abductee held a press conference, and Takuya Yokota, Megumi Yokota's younger brother and representative of the family association, talked about the new activity policy, saying, ``We are targeting someone who abducted an innocent 13-year-old girl and has not returned her for nearly 50 years. It's painful and I don't want to say, ``Let's keep calm and have a dialogue.'' Still, I want to see Megumi, and I want my mother to be reunited with Megumi, and every family shares that desire. To achieve this, we have made the difficult decision to compromise where we have to."



He then asked for ``the Japanese government to conduct thorough diplomatic negotiations without lowering the hurdle of returning all abductees at once.''



He then appealed to General Secretary Kim Jong Un, ``Let's resolve the abduction issue and food issue, which are humanitarian issues in each country, so that both countries can envision a bright future.Please do not misread our policy.'' .



In addition, her mother, Sakie, said, ``I don't know how Megumi-chan is doing, but I believe she is doing well. Don't give up hope, and hope that the day will come when we can all go home together in good health.'' I want you to believe in me and wait for me."