20 years after the Japan-North Korea summit, the path for the return of the abductees is unclear

On the 17th, it will be 20 years since the Japan-North Korea Summit Meeting, in which North Korea acknowledged the abduction issue and apologized.

At present, there is still no clear path for the return of all the victims, and the government will continue to work on North Korea, seeking the cooperation of the international community, in order to resolve the issue as soon as possible. Policy.

On September 17, 2002, then-Prime Minister Koizumi visited North Korea at the Japan-North Korea Summit Meeting with General Secretary Kim Jong Il, and North Korea acknowledged the abduction issue and apologized. It will be 20 years in 17 days.

In the month following this meeting, five victims were able to return to Japan, but after that, as North Korea stepped up its nuclear and missile development, Japan-North Korea negotiations stalled for a long time. The current situation is that we cannot foresee it.

At a press conference on June 16, Chief Cabinet Secretary Matsuno, who is in charge of the abduction issue, said, "It is extremely regrettable that so many abductees are still being left behind in North Korea. All victims will be able to return home as soon as possible. In order to do so, we will do our utmost without missing any opportunities."

Prime Minister Kishida reiterated his determination to meet directly with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un without any conditions, and the government will cooperate with the international community to resolve the issue as soon as possible. We will continue to approach North Korea while seeking

Families of abductees gather

It has been 20 years since the first Japan-North Korea Summit Meeting, in which North Korea acknowledged the abduction of Japanese citizens.

During this time, the safety of the victims other than the five who returned to Japan remained unknown, and the families of the victims held a meeting on the night of the 16th. complained of a sense of urgency.

At the first Japan-North Korea summit meeting held on the 17th, 20 years ago, North Korea admitted to the abduction of Japanese citizens and five victims returned to Japan. There are 12 people alone.

During this period, while no progress was seen, the families of the victims, who were waiting to be reunited with their immediate family, continued to age. In addition to his death, at the end of last year, Shigeo Iizuka, the older brother of Yaeko Taguchi, who succeeded him as the representative, passed away.

Takuya Yokota, the younger brother of Megumi Yokota and representative of the Kazokukai, who attended a rally in Tokyo on the night of the 16th, said, "The family who held a press conference after the Japan-North Korea summit meeting 20 years ago and the members on this stage today. I would like the Japanese and North Korean governments to recognize that if we cannot reunite with the victims while their parents are still in good health, there will be no real solution. Please send a message to General Secretary Kim Jong Un in your own words."

Sakie, 86, the mother, said, ``From morning to night, I wondered what my children were doing and what kind of things they were going through, and the years passed with a pain in my stomach. I feel really sad that many of the parents I worked with in rescue activities have passed away, and I don't know how much more I can do."

Koichiro Iizuka, Yaeko Taguchi's eldest son, said, "I've been feeling really depressed. It's abnormal that this situation has continued for 20 years, and I wonder if the government really wanted to help. I want you to think seriously about what you have to do to break through the situation."

Megumi Yokota and the violin

Takuya, one of the twin brothers of Megumi Yokota, who was abducted by North Korea when she was in her first year of junior high school.

He succeeds Shigeo Iizuka, who passed away last December, and serves as the representative of the Kazokukai.

A small violin that Takuya cherishes.

He used to play it himself when he was in elementary school over 40 years ago.

Takuya, who responded to the NHK interview this time, revealed that he had heard an unexpected episode related to this violin from the abductee who returned to Japan.

Megumi, who decided to play a musical instrument in North Korea, said that she chose the violin because her younger brother Takuya played it.

Kaoru Hasuike, who lived in the same area in North Korea as Megumi for a while, told me about it.

Takuya, who was in elementary school when his sister was abducted, said, "I think my sister only remembers us twins when they were about waist height, but I remember the sound of my violin at that time. I really felt that he was listening to me," he said.

“In North Korea, where there is no freedom of expression or movement, the sound of the instrument may have been the only time when I could experience freedom. I want people to see it as something packed, and I want to talk about it, saying, 'I've been able to play a little bit since then.'"

While there is no progress, the reality is that generations of the victims' parents are dying one after another.

Takuya said, ``If the abduction incident hadn't happened, each family would have been happy with their child going on to higher education, getting a job, getting married, and having a good time with their grandchildren. I traveled all over the country and appealed, but even my pure wish of ``I want to see you again, I want to hug you in Japan'' has not been fulfilled."

On top of that, he said, ``I don't think it would have taken so long if the Japanese government had engaged in diplomatic negotiations with the spirit of 'absolutely unforgivable.' I want you."

Japanese Abductions by North Korea and Their Purpose

The 17 people recognized by the government as abductees by North Korea were abducted one after another during the seven years from 1977 to 1983.

Of these, 13 Japanese, including Megumi Yokota and Yaeko Taguchi, and three Europeans, including Keiko Arimoto, were abducted.

Also, Minoru Tanaka went missing after leaving the country for Europe.

Domestic abductions are believed to have been carried out to make it easier for North Korean agents to disguise themselves as Japanese and infiltrate South Korea.

It has become clear that there were cases in which victims were used as ``educators'' to teach Japanese language and Japanese customs to operatives, and there were cases in which operatives pretended to be Japanese who had been abducted and carried out work activities.

In addition, it is believed that there were cases where the victim was trying to become an agent itself.

Regarding the abduction from Europe, there is a suspicion that the members of the Yodo-go hijacking incident who went to North Korea and their wives were involved. It is believed that this was done with the intention of

Contradictions in explanation of North Korea's safety

Of the 17 abductees recognized by the government, there were contradictions and unnatural points in North Korea's explanations about 12 whose safety is unknown.

Since North Korea acknowledged the abductions at the Japan-North Korea summit meeting in 2002, it has repeatedly explained that the eight victims had died.

However, there was no evidence to support the explanation, such as the fact that there were no documents proving the death, and the DNA of another person was detected in the remains that were said to be those of Megumi Yokota and Kaoru Matsuki. not.

Also, there were unnatural and ambiguous points in the explanation of the circumstances that led to the death of the eight people, such as "gas poisoning" and "heart attack".

In addition, Yaeko Taguchi taught Japanese to Kim Hyun-hee, a former North Korean agent who carried out the bombing of the Korean Air Lines and was a North Korean agent. There are many points inconsistent with the testimony of the abductees who returned to Japan and the facts revealed by the police investigation, such as the fact that North Korea was involved in the abduction of Japanese nationals, and the government considers the credibility of North Korea's explanation to be questionable.

In addition, police investigations have revealed that North Korea's involvement in the abduction of four people who have denied entry or have not been confirmed by North Korea.

In the last 20 years, the victim's family has aged further, and 8 people have died.

Over the past 20 years, the families of victims who are waiting to be reunited with their immediate family members are getting older.

Among the abductees recognized by the government, 12 parents whose safety is unknown have died without being able to reunite with their children. I'm here.

Of these, Shuichi Ichikawa's father Taira waited until the age of 99 for his son's return, but he passed away in 2014.

Keiko Arimoto's mother Kayoko died at the age of 94, and Megumi Yokota's father Shigeru died at the age of 87. are one after another.

Megumi Yokota's mother Sakie (86) and Keiko Arimoto's father Akihiro (94) are still alive.

The siblings of the victims are also getting older, and more and more people are complaining about physical problems. Died at the age of 83.

This year, 45 years have passed since the first incident on the abduction issue, and 25 years have passed since the victim's family association was formed.

Families are demanding that the government do everything in its power to resolve the abduction issue, saying that ``the abduction issue cannot be resolved without the parents' generation hugging the victims.''