Abe conveys resolve to abductee families following U.N. speech
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, standing, delivers a message to a group of families of Japanese abducted by North Korea, led by Shigeo Iizuka, third from right, during a meeting at Abe’s official residence in Tokyo Thursday. Photo: AP POOL
Tokyo:Prime Minister Shinzo Abe reiterated to the families of North Korean abduction victims on Thursday his government’s determination to bring them back to Japan in cooperation with the United States.
In a meeting with the relatives at the prime minister’s office in Tokyo, Abe said he expressed his resolve in his address at the annual U.N. General Assembly in New York earlier this month.
In the same setting, U.S. President Donald Trump had referred to Megumi Yokota, the daughter of Shigeru and Sakie Yokota who was abducted by North Korea in 1977 at age 13 and has become a symbol of the abductees’ plight.
Amid rising tensions over North Korea’s nuclear and missile development, the families of some of the abductees have expressed concern that the issue has taken a backseat.
“As the United States is willing to cooperate in resolving the issue, we will continue to emphasize its importance to the international community,” Abe said at the meeting, which was open to the media.
Praising Abe’s speech in New York, Shigeo Iizuka, 79, who heads a group representing abductees’ families, said it is important to realize the premier’s pledge. His younger sister Yaeko Taguchi was kidnapped in 1978 when she was 22.
Sakie Yokota, the 81-year-old mother of Megumi, who was also present, said, “We just expect (the government) to achieve a result.”
The meeting took place shortly before Abe dissolved the House of Representatives for a general election next month. Opposition forces have criticized Abe for creating a political vacuum at a time of rising tensions over North Korea.
Iizuka told reporters after the meeting that he had come anticipating a “good story” as they were asked to visit the prime minister’s office. But he said they did not receive any new information.
Japan officially lists 17 citizens as abduction victims and suspects North Korea’s involvement in other disappearances of Japanese citizens. While five of the 17 were repatriated in 2002, Pyongyang maintains that eight — including Megumi Yokota — have died and the other four never entered the country.
Source:/japantoday.com