Sakie, the mother of Megumi Yokota, who was abducted by North Korea, met with Chief Cabinet Secretary Matsuno and once again demanded that the issue be resolved as soon as possible. I conveyed my intention to work with all my might.
Megumi Yokota's mother, Sakie, and Masaki Ikeda, representative of the "Classmate's Association" made up of Megumi's elementary and junior high school classmates, met at the Prime Minister's official residence on the evening of the 6th, Chief Cabinet Secretary Matsuno, who is in charge of the abduction issue. I met with him and handed over 230 signatures asking for a solution to the problem as soon as possible.
After this, Ms. Sakie said, "I'm doing my best with Ichiru's hope. I'd like to ask for something," she again asked for an early resolution.
Ms. Ikeda also requested, "Ms. Sakie turned 87 on the 4th. She has no time to spare, so I hope she can reach the Japan-North Korea summit meeting as soon as possible."
In response, Chief Cabinet Secretary Matsuno said, ``As both the victims and their families are aging, the abduction issue is a humanitarian issue with a time limit, and is the most important issue for the Cabinet.'' , I conveyed my intention to make every effort, including the realization of direct negotiations between Prime Minister Kishida and General Secretary Kim Jong-un.