A farewell ceremony was held Saturday in Tokyo for Shigeru Yokota, who passed away in June at 87, with hopes for the return of Japanese people abducted by North Korea as soon as possible. Yokota was the father of Megumi Yokota, who was 13 years old when she was abducted.
The ceremony was attended by about 330 people, including Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
At the ceremony, Yokota's wife, Sakie, 84, said: "A quiet husband seems to be so strong since my daughter's disappearance. I followed him and we always acted together."
She also appreciated him for working hard for the rest of his life to realize the return of all abductees.
After the ceremony, a Great Popular Assembly appealing for the rescue of all the abductees was held, in which about 800 people participated. This assembly used to be held twice a year, in spring and autumn, however the novel coronavirus pandemic meant this was the first meeting this year.
The assembly is organized by the Association of the Families of Victims Kidnapped by North Korea (AFVKN) and the National Association for the Rescue of Japanese Kidnapped by North Korea, a support organization.
Suga, who doubled as the minister for abductions issue when he was the chief cabinet secretary under Abe, attended the assembly as prime minister for the first time since taking office.
"To solve the abduction issue, cooperation and understanding from the international community are necessary," Suga said. "After taking office, I raised this issue in telephone conferences with the leaders of other countries and worked to gain their understanding."
Suga also stressed: "The abduction issue is of course the most important issue in my administration. I am making every effort to realize the earliest possible return of all victims."
At the assembly, the participants adopted a resolution calling on North Korea to make a decision to return all abductees and urged the Japanese government to make efforts to realize their return.
Besides Yokota, Kayoko Arimoto died at 94 in February. Arimoto's daughter Keiko was 23 when she was abducted.
Shigeo Iizuka, president of AFVKN after Yokota since 2007, was absent from the assembly because he was not feeling well. Iizuka, the 82-year-old sibling of Yaeko Taguchi who was abducted at 22, had managed to attend the farewell ceremony for Yokota.
"The families left behind are getting older and weaker," he said earlier. "I would like to show my gratitude to Shigeru by dedicating a report that the abduction issues have been resolved."
Read more from The Japan News at https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/
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