Takuya Yokota, who was abducted by North Korea years ago, called for the early return of his elder sister, Megumi, who was abducted by North Korea years ago at the age of 13 and other Japanese abductees at a rally in Tokyo on Saturday.
The leader of a group of Japanese abductee families, Yokota, 54, said that parents of abduction victims have passed away one after another while the issue has remained unresolved for a extended period of time. He stressed that there is no time left in his life.
Yokota said his mother, Sakie, 87, is receiving treatment after being hospitalized about two months ago due to poor health. We definitely want to bring all of the abductees back to their parents, he said.
In addition, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who attended the rally, was asked by Yokota to look in the eyes of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and talk with him in person, as he did with fellow leaders of the Group of Seven at the summit held in Hiroshima earlier this month.
The time-pressured abduction issue cannot be treated lightly even for a moment, Kishida said. We ll do our best to address the issue decisively, to realize the return of all abductees, Kishida said, pledging efforts to advance negotiations to realize a meeting with Kim at an early date.
At the rally, participants urged the Japanese government and North Korea to achieve the abductees' return home all together.
About 800 people, including families of abducted eagles, supporters and parliamentary members, attended the event.